Sacha Lees

Wellington artist Sacha Lees began her career working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as an illustrator, airbrush artist and creature designer. These days Lees, originally from the West Coast, is a leading artist. She developed her painting technique in Florence and now specialises in the “fantastic” genre – a movement specialising in mythical creatures and […]

Something wonderful at The Dowse

Emma from Emma Makes kindly visited and revisited  – Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery  exhibition at The Dowse  for us. Each time I return to Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery I find something new I want to own. It began at the opening with Emily Valentine’s Kingfisher Brooch (2013). “Is that a bird?” said the friend I was […]

Baby it’s cold inside

A little late to the party but still something rather delightful has popped up in the city.  Cleave (a project between artist Gabby O’Connor, oceanographer Craig Stevens, curator Katharine Allard and the amazing kids from Miramar Central school) is living at 86 Victoria St Wellington until July 13 2013. It’s viewable 24/7 as it’s all […]

Towards Another (Big Bang) Theory

The images of exploding fuel from Geoffrey H. Short’s exhibition Towards Another (Big Bang) Theory at {Suite} Gallery on Oriental Parade are immediately evocative to me of a number of different other imageries, occurring in roughly this order: of the US military napalming bits of Vietnam of Francis Ford Coppola napalming bits of the Phillipines […]

Big Drypnz

If you’re in the market for a real bona fide “Holy shit, look at that!” experience, try heading down to the eastern end of Abel Smith Street, opposite the Southern Cross. Where on the corner of Wigan Street there was once a Tattoo Museum (or this), with an imposing moai on the street front (image), […]

Double-header imminent at Solander: Works on Paper

Solander Gallery: Works on Paper is Wellington’s contemporary works on paper gallery. I have a soft spot for printmaking and being a gallery that — not exclusively, mind — specialises in this discipline with a consistent rotation of strong shows from talented New Zealand printmakers, Solander has become a favourite space of mine to visit. They […]

Narrative Playgrounds group show at Pixel Ink Gallery

Narrative Playgrounds is a group exhibition at Pixel Ink Gallery of visual works by emerging and established New Zealand artists. The common theme of the show is that the work is inspired by stories and the imagination. Gallery director, Rosalind Clark, said the exhibition is all about translating the imagination onto a blank canvas. The artist’s brief was to […]

Jewels of Whitireia

On Thursday night the Annual 2010 Whitireia Student Contemporary Jewellery Auction will be held at Mighty Mighty with National Radio presenter Kim Hill controlling the hammer as auctioneer. Donated contemporary jewellery is being sent from all over New Zealand for the event including pieces from contemporary jewellery practitioners Peter Deckers, Matthew McIntyre Wilson and Owen […]