Auckland Art Fair announces keynote speaker

Auckland Art Fair announces keynote speaker; Vernissage tickets on sale from 1 June

31.5.2013

Tickets sales for New Zealand’s premier contemporary art event – Auckland Art Fair staged at The Cloud from 7-11 August – commence on 1 June.

A limited number of early bird tickets for $100 will be available to the Vernissage, the fair’s signature function and art party of the year on 7 August where 900 of the fair’s closest friends have the first opportunity to view and purchase work by leading New Zealand and Australian artists. In previous years this fully catered event has sold out weeks in advance.

The fifth biennial Auckland Art Fair features 40 exhibitions, projects and installations in a range of media including photography, painting, sculpture and moving image.

Over four days, the public has the opportunity to view and buy new work from some of the most exciting contemporary artists working today, presented as carefully curated collections by galleries from Sydney, Melbourne, Gisborne, Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson, Arrowtown and Auckland.

The 40 installations are complemented by a diverse programme of panel discussions, artist talks and tours. To help fuel a big day out at the Art Fair, visitors can take a break and enjoy the view of Auckland’s Harbour at the onsite café or wine bar.

A special guest of the Fair this year is Sandra Phillips, curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In her long tenure at the museum, Phillips has curated and collaborated on critically acclaimed exhibitions by some of the world’s leading photographers.

A recent highlight was "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the Camera Since 1870", an exhibition conceived by Phillips and co-curated with the Tate Modern, which premiered in London in 2010 before returning to San Francisco in 2011. Comprising more than 200 images, Exposed explores the use and cultural impact of photography made in public spaces, demonstrating the huge impact of cameras and camera technology, both past and present.

"The camera is now more adept at concealment, and we often feel protected because we are watched—a telling and relatively recent development,” states Phillips. “The spy who used to be consigned to the shadows and often called shady is now tolerated in the open and can, in fact, be you or me with a cell phone, even as we are being observed through a surveillance camera."

Sandra Philips will provide an insight into some of the images in this exhibition and discuss the way photography is associated with voyeurism and surveillance at her keynote lecture presented by the Fair’s Principal Partner, ANZ Private. She will also take part in one of the Art Fair Forum panel discussions on Thursday 8 August from 2- 3 pm. This is included in the price of admission ($25 GA, $20 early bird and concession)

Art Fair at a Glance

Date

7-11 August 2013

Opening Times

Wednesday 7 August The Vernissage 7.00pm to 10:30pm

Thursday 8 August 11.00am to 6.00pm

Friday 9 August 11.00am to 8.00pm

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 August 10.00am to 6.00pm

Venue

The Cloud, Queens Wharf, Quay St on Auckland’s waterfront

Exhibitors

40 exhibitions and special projects by leading galleries from New Zealand and Australia

Highlights

The Vernissage opening gala Wednesday 7 August 7.00pm to 10:30pm (bookings essential)

International keynote speaker, Sandra Philips, presented by ANZ Private Bank, Friday 9 August (bookings essential and restricted to Collectors’ package holders and guests of the ANZ)

Guided Tours and Artist Floor Talks daily

Art Fair Forum Series and panel discussions presented by invited speakers

A fully illustrated event catalogue and accompanying texts

Tickets

www.iticket.co.nz from 1 June 2013

Ticket prices

GA $25 (concession or early bird $20)
The Vernissage $125 (early bird $100)
Public Programme – free with a GA ticket
* Excludes booking fees

Event Partners

ANZ Private Bank | Hesketh Henry | Staples Rodway | Nikon | ATEED | Heart of the City |SkyCity Grand Hotel | Alan Scott Wines | George FM| The NZ Herald

For more information visit www.artfair.co.nz

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