Memory and Human Connection Inspire New Exhibition

Memory and Human Connection Inspire New Exhibition at The Dowse

In an age of oversharing and open access to the thoughts of those with an online presence, a new exhibition at The Dowse is a quiet reminder of the power of intimacy and private feelings. Taking its title from a poem by the late Joanna Margaret Paul, this is the cup of your heart brings together artists that pay attention to the presence of absence in our lives. The exhibition is on now and runs to 26 June 2016.

this is the cup of your heart includes work by Erena Baker, Kim Brice, Andrea Daly, Ruby Joy Eade, Emil McAvoy, Joanna Margaret Paul, Marie Shannon and makers unknown. Dealing with mourning, nostalgia, and longing, the artists in the exhibition make universal emotions personal in works that are both beautiful and sad; delicate and potent; dreamlike and irrefutably real.

From photography to jewellery and spanning works from the 19th century to the present, curator Alice Tappenden has chosen works that evoke the power of memory and human connection. Alice says “In this show I wanted to bring together artists who consider these ideas, and who look at the loss and longing that go hand-in-hand with memories. The works in this is the cup of your heart manage to do so without reverting to easy clichés, with many sharing very personal experiences with the viewer”.

this is the cup of your heart is the result of Alice Tappenden’s nine month tenure as the 2015 Blumhardt Curatorial Intern. Alice is the eighth recipient of the Blumhardt Foundation’s Curatorial Internship, supported by Creative New Zealand. As well as working under the mentorship of Dowse Senior Curator, Emma Bugden, Alice co-curated Thought Cupboard (28 Nov 2015 – 31 Jan 2016), an exhibition of works from The Dowse collection; contributed to the production of The Dowse Podcast; and will deliver a presentation at Four Waves of Feminism: The Ongoing Conversation in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Art and Art Histories hui at The Dowse on Friday 8 April 2016.

The Blumhardt Curatorial Internship at The Dowse is offered annually and is part of the legacy of New Zealand potter Dame Doreen Blumhardt's commitment to arts education. The internship provides a rare opportunity for an aspiring curator to develop their skills alongside professional museum staff, in a contemporary gallery setting. http://dowse.org.nz/exhibitions/detail/blumhardt-curatorial-intern

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