Artists play with music

Artists play with music

For its next exhibition, Play On, the Adam Art Gallery is bringing together four major installations made in the 1990s that use music as form, theme and medium, together with a new body of work made in 2010.

Julian Dashper’s The Big Bang Theory, Michael Parekowhai’s Ten Guitars, Michael Stevenson’s Slave Pianos and Terry Urbahn’s The Karaokes are joined by Ava Seymour’s 11 Bars of Oboe. For the very first time audiences will be able to draw connections between these important works and consider why these artists use music as the subject and form of their art.

Julian Dashper created fictitious rock bands whose names are the same as New Zealand’s greatest artists. Terry Urbahn’s work invites fellow artists to make music videos of songs for an audience to sing along to. Michael Stevenson (with Australian collaborators, Danius Kesminus, Rohan Drape and Neil Kelly) offers an archive of avant-garde sound art that can be played on a grand piano, and Michael Parekowhai’s Ten Guitars recalls those Maori entertainers who have brought their musical talent into the realm of popular music since the 1960s.

Ava Seymour has been invited to add a new work to this stellar line-up. Her work recalls a history of art that sees in music an abstract language to be translated visually but encodes a secret history of the New York underground music scene in the 1960s and 70s.

This is a unique chance to see an exhibition that is all about music, where sounds are evoked and even activated, and which asks vital questions about what art is and how culture works.

Play On
Adam Art Gallery
Victoria University of Wellington
8 May — 25 July 2010

You are invited to attend a lecture by esteemed curator and art critic Robert Leonard on Friday 7 May at 6pm, whose address will officially open the exhibition. The artists Michael Parekowhai, Ava Seymour and Terry Urbahn will also be present.

Special media previews of the exhibition will be available during the day on Friday 7 May by appointment only. The artists will be available for interviews.

If you require further information or high quality images please contact Laura Preston.
Email: laura.preston@vuw.ac.nz Phone: (04) 463 5229

Adam Art Gallery
Victoria University of Wellington
Gate 3, Kelburn Parade, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
OPEN Tuesday - Sunday, 11am - 5pm (closed only on Monday)
FREE ENTRY

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