Roger Mortimer to exhibit at Pātaka

20 January 2017

Roger Mortimer to exhibit at Pātaka

Roger Mortimer: Southern Collection Unit 1

Roger Mortimer’s exhibition Dilemma Hill is set to open at Pātaka Art + Museum on 26 February as part of Pātaka’s stunning new seasonal line-up.

Mortimer has been described as ‘a contemporary visual mythologist’. His work gives a post-modern and post-colonial take on the earliest chartings of New Zealand coast by Europeans through contemporary eyes. Graphic imagery lifted from medieval manuscripts set on New Zealand marine charts powerfully reflects contemporary global turmoil.

Dilemma Hill showcases the last 16 years of Mortimer’s art practice – from the elaborate calligraphy of quirky early works based on bills, bureaucratic documents and mail-order catalogues, to his recent exploration of imagery drawn from illustrated manuscripts of Dante’s 14th century epic poem, the Divine Comedy. While most of the exhibits are large paintings on canvas, there’ll also be china paintings on ceramic and an etched and inked surfboard on display.

Pātaka contemporary art curator Mark Hutchins-Pond says Mortimer’s highly personal paintings portray both beauty and barbarity, reflecting the universal struggle of the human condition. “Mortimer’s menacing yet delicately coloured depictions invite both psychological and political readings and remind us of the human capacity for both evil and redemption.”

Dilemma Hill – Mortimer’s first major solo exhibition in a public institution – is a joint project between Pātaka Art + Museum and the Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland.

Mortimer was awarded the James Wallace Trust Paramount Award in 2014 and his exhibition at Pātaka will run in parallel with the 25th Annual Wallace Art Awards 2016.

Mayor Mike Tana is looking forward to having such high quality artists on display in the city in the coming months. “Pātaka is nationally and internationally renowned as a contemporary art space. It’s awesome that we’re able to feature these connected New Zealand art exhibitions at Pātaka at the same time,” he said. Both exhibitions will run until 21 May 2017.

For more information visit the Pātaka Art + Museum website: www.pataka.org.nz/roger-mortimer-dilemma-hill/

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