Dummies And Doppelgängers – Introducing An Unmissable Major Contemporary Art Exhibition At CAGTPOW

The art of becoming someone else is explored in a major contemporary art exhibition showing at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū from Saturday 2 November. 

Dummies & Doppelgängers is “an unruly assortment that ranges from the hilarious and unsettling to the poetic and tender,” says Lead Curator Felicity Milburn.

“The artists take very different approaches, but all the artworks are hugely engaging – inviting viewers to get involved, both visually and emotionally. By playing with the possibilities of borrowed and re-imagined identities, these artists help us explore what it means to be human. 

“Many are interested in the idea of alternate selves or personas that give us the freedom to express ourselves in new ways. Others deconstruct the roles imposed on us by others and the expectations of society,” Ms Milburn says. 

“Several artists explore the power of dressing up, showing how this lets them step into new identities. A 1980s series by local Ōtautahi artist Margaret Dawson shows her masquerading as female stereotypes in photographic ‘portraits’ that covertly challenge assumptions about how women should look or behave. Meanwhile, Sāmoan-Japanese artist Yuki Kihara dons a black Victorian mourning dress to inhabit the powerful figure of Salome in works that address the colonial history of Sāmoa. 

“In Kihara’s most recent work, Convergence of Time, Salome reforms into multiple versions of herself, holding significant objects connected to Sāmoa’s history as she glides across the Vā, a realm separated from time and space,” Ms Milburn says.

Visitors should come prepared for a few double-takes, with several spellbindingly lifelike sculptures that have to be seen to be believed, including works from internationally renowned artists such as Patricia Piccinini, Sam Jinks and Ron Mueck.

“Piccinini’s toe-curling ‘parahuman’ creations consider the possibilities – good and bad – of biotechnological development while also reminding us of all we have in common with other animals, whether we like it or not. Sam Jinks has created an equally unforgettable pairing with his incredibly detailed sculpture of an elderly woman holding a baby. Jinks is one of eight Australian artists represented in the exhibition.”

Ms Milburn says Dummies & Doppelgängers includes several new additions to the Gallery’s collection. “We are showing the new, bronze version of Francis Upritchard’s Eeling in the Ōtākaro, as well as a striking, larger-than-life drawing by Kristin Stephenson of her husband Steve, and a boisterous sculptural quartet by Ronnie van Hout.

“Many locals will remember van Hout’s giant face-in-a-hand sculpture, Quasi, that loomed from the Gallery roof. We’ve recently acquired four related works that are about a metre high. They’ll bring a mischievous energy to the show, popping up around the space.”

Another surprising inhabitant of the exhibition is Blue Ted, a life-sized costume of artist Amanda Newall’s childhood stuffed toy. After finding the original in a state of decay, Newall created a new, wearable version while on an artist residency in Spain during the Covid outbreak in 2021.

“Amanda’s work explores the association of comfort that objects can hold, even into adulthood. In transforming her toy into a bright blue, faux fur bear suit, Newall can embody and manifest it, or wear it like a protective cloak or mask. But it’s not exactly a fairytale; in related drawings, her bare adult arms and legs can be seen extending strangely beyond the costume, creating a human-bear hybrid that is vulnerable and a little creepy.

“Confounding, undone and forever open to interpretation, these works offer more questions than answers. But they’re all about us: everyone’s favourite subject.” 

Dummies and Doppelgängers opens on Saturday 2 November with a curator floortalk at 11am and runs until 23 March 2025.

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