FRINGE '04: Histories – At Photospace

News Release 11/1/04

Histories is an exuberant feast of photo-media that premieres at the Fringe Festival 2004. And shows 15 Wellington artists diverse, rich and evocative works that explore the notion of history and how we as artists interpret history.

Mansfield Art Collective presents Histories two reclusive mystery artists ‘X’ and ‘Peter Out’ who will make a special contribution to the dynamic debut of 15 artists unique viewpoints of history, from literal interpretations to the more fantastical and whimsical. ’Peter Out’ focuses on the recent history of the terror attacks and the confusion of just who is good and bad these days. Douglas Crane shows his solider grandfather’s photographs of Afghanistan to Rab Lewin’s Spanish anarchist revolution that took place in a small village Ganada, Andalusia . Newtown-based Mansfield Art Collective’s curator Alison Jones does art referential and uses the personal and political to infuse her nude self-portraits with anit-GE statements.

The Histories artist work in a variety of formats, themes and treatments of the subject history and their own unique use of photography and showcase a wide range of artists; some that primarily work with photography to artists that use photography in their art practise. The diversity of backgrounds from photographic/multi-media artists, painters and professional photographers will culminate in a vivid potpourri of techniques from black /white and colour prints to digital based media and large format photography. Some of the artists are graduates from; Massey University and Wellington Polytechnic Photography Schools, Manukau School of Art and Design and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, East Sydney Technical College and the rest are self taught photography buffs.

Histories Artists

Douglas Crane a 2003 Melbourne RMIT fine arts masters graduate who took on the art world with his latest show La Salon des Refuse a survey of 10 years rejected art from major NZ competitions at Thistle Hall September 2003.

Scotsman Rab Lewin calls an Island Bay bach home and has lived in Aotearoa NZ for 7 years. He spent most of his life living between Scotland and Australia, and then travelled to USA, Munich, Berlin (for 4 yrs) and Spain, where he tells the story of The History of Revolution 1990.

Andrew Ross - a photographers photographer, who portrays a vanishing Wellington of industrial landscapes, buildings, houses and interiors. Andrew has photographed 6 prominent Wellingtonians for the Museum of Wellington City and Sea ‘Living Treasures’ series that finishes May04.

Karen Lee was inspired by a childhood memory of a Isambard Kingdom Brunel photograph that triggered a lifelong love of photography, she is working on a series in conjunction with Ross on workshops and baches. Contact as above
James Gilberd a photographic enthusiast with a co-joint BA Design degree from Wellington Polytechnic & Victoria University, who runs Wellingtons only dedicated photographic gallery.

Jo Russ recently presented a photo/pun images of women alongside their feline counterpart in Looking for Love at Thistle Hall, Fringe Festival 2003,a Manukau School of Art and Design photography grad 2000.

Andy Palmer a Massey University photography grad, he has exhibited at Photospace, Start Gallery and Enjoy. And presents ‘I Want To Start A New Life With My Valuable Hunting Knife : An Autobiography For The Semi-Literate.

Alison Jones Histories curator is a multi-media artist who works in video, photography, painting and performance, Alison presents for the first time ever!!! nude self portraits with anti-GE slogans.

Glenn J Humphries lives in Island Bay and was raised in the Waiarapa region. Glenn finds inspiration from the landscapes of Island Bay and the Waiarapa, where he records the changing seasons and light conditions in painting and photography.

Suzette Laws trained in fine arts at East Sydney Technical College, Australia and her philosophy is: a white boarded 10 by 8 comes into my head - that’s what I try and bring to a show.

Johanna Mechen is a Fringe veteran from a photographic & theatre background. Johanna has a particular interest in portraiture & digital art, she is currently working on an exhibition based on found images.

Anna Halliday has studied photography at Massey University and had works in a group show Petone: 18 Translations at Massey’s Great Hall, she explores the ‘objectivity‘ of history.

Andrew Ginther combines traditional and digital photography with sculpture and other fine art techniques to create a hybridization of 20th C work inspired by cubist and surrealist movements.

Histories mystery artists ‘X’ is a dark horse of the Wellington Photographic community who shows rarely and to great acclaim, his last show ‘Y’ marks the spot says Capital Times reviewer Alison Jones “ a new vision plays with ‘X’ photo sensibilities” and Peter Out an Ex-USA resident whose stand out New York show Lies, Damn Lies and Peter Out of which Saul Ekerberg wrote “…the jury is still out on whether Peter Out is a Pathological liar or just maybe the first artistic genius of the 21st Century” .

ENDS

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