Join Sofia Roger Williams and Beth Torrance-Hetherington for kōrero with artists and creative types from the wide art world of Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond!
Vivienne Westwood and Jewellery is a new exhibition at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Designed and curated by the house of Vivienne Westwood and produced by Nomad Exhibitions, the exhibition at Te Papa covers the extensive history of jewellery design and creation by the Vivienne Westwood house.
Sofia spoke to Senior Curator of New Zealand Culture and History at Te Papa, Claire Regnault, about Westwood’s career and the exhibition.
She also spoke with Hunters and Collectors owner and founder, Chrissy O, about her experience collecting and selling Westwood vintage in Aotearoa, in light of the exhibition at Te Papa.
Having opened in 1987, Hunters and Collectors is a designer vintage store based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington which specialises in selling brands of the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Rick Owens, Issey Miyake, Maison Margiela, Acne Studios and more. Chrissy is very likely the biggest collector and seller of Vivienne Westwood in Aotearoa.
Two Hands Tattoo is a tattoo studio based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
Founded in 2005 by tattoo artist Spider Sinclaire, the studio is now celebrating its twentieth anniversary with retrospective exhibition Forever, showing at Studio One Toi Tū.
The exhibition presents a diverse collection of works by local and international tattoo artists, featuring artworks, paintings, drawings, photographs, posters, memorabilia and installations. This art chronicles the studio’s artistic endeavours over the past twenty years.
Spider, who travels frequently and fills regular guest spots at a variety of locations across the United States, is mostly based in Los Angeles, California. While Spider is back in Aotearoa for the exhibition, he caught up with Beth for a kōrero.
Beth had a kōrero with Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Christian Dimick about his latest exhibition Prattle Rabbit, showing at Grace Gallery until January 25th.
A new mural by Liberation Library Aotearoa has been unveiled on Edinburgh Street off Karangahape Road. In checking in with the past through the Polynesian Panthers and Black Panthers, as well as historical events like the Dawn Raids in Aotearoa, these murals speak to the current and future hopes for the well-being of Pasifika in Aotearoa. Sofia had a kōrero with Chris McBride and Tigilau Ness about the project.
For Stage Direction, Alice joins us in the studio to chat with actors Siobhan and Chris about Shakespeare in the Park 2025, taking place from Jan 18th-Feb 15th.
Christian Dimick is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. He graduated from Massey University, Pōneke Wellington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2022.
Christian’s latest exhibition, Prattle Rabbit, is showing now at Grace Gallery until the 25th of January. Christian described the artworks of Prattle Rabbit as ‘loosely figurative and a bit sketchy’.
Here’s my kōrero with Christian about the exhibition, with conversation about his creative practice and the influence of university upon his approach.
A new mural by Liberation Library Aotearoa has been unveiled on Edinburgh Street off Karangahape Road.
Inspired by artist and producer Chris McBride and event producer and consultant Tigilau Ness’ travel together to the Black Panther Party’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in Oakland California in 2016, the mural project seeks to honour the historical presence of the Polynesian Panthers and the Black Panther Party and the social justice issues they stand for.
In checking in with the past through such groups, as well as historical events like the Dawn Raids in Aotearoa, these murals also speak to the current and future hopes for the well-being of Pasifika in Aotearoa.
The artists involved in this latest project are Numangatini Mackenzie, Toa Sieke Taihia, Huriana Kopeke Te-Aho, Simon Endres and Chris McBride.
Sofia had a kōrero with Chris and Tigilau about the project.
For more information about the project, visit their website here.
To celebrate the second year of Various Artists, and the first helmed by us, this week we looked back at some highlights of our year.
We listened back to:
Sofia's kōrero with gallerist and curator Melanie Roger about a group exhibition at Melanie Roger Gallery, the Secret Life of Plants, from October.
Beth's kōrero with Ross Deans, Jodie Yawa McMillan and Madi Macdonald about Through the Lens: Gendered Reflections, an exhibition of photography by women artists, spanning a period of over 40 years from September.
Sofia's interview package for the 2024 Elam Graduate Show - speaking to recent Capstone graduates Rainer Majsa, Maya Reed, and Talei Elvy, as well as Masters graduates Emily Brown and Aidan McNeillage - from November.
And Beth's kōrero with British author Amy Twigg about her debut novel Spoilt Creatures, ‘a simmering debut, heady with the possibilities of language and the righteousness of female rage’ from back in July.
And for Stage Direction this week: Alice Canton joined us in the studio to speak with some of the organisers of the Festival of Sumad at the Button Factory - brought to you by the organisers of the Gaza Dialogues and Make art not War.
Ngā mihi nui to everyone who spoke with us this year, it's been a pleasure x
Charles Ninow is a new gallery space that has recently opened at 102/203 Karangahape Road.
Ninow is a dealer, auctioneer, and promoter of fine art in Aotearoa who draws inspiration from the first-principles approach of New Zealand’s earliest commercial galleries of the 1960s and 1970s, believing in the transformative power of art by committing to expanding its audience.
Ralph Paine: Leaves from a Pillow Book is Ninow’s first and opening exhibition in this new space, continuing on from some of the less well known artists and projects he worked on and championed at his former boutique gallery and auction house, Bowerbank Ninow.
Sofia caught up with Charles about the new space and the exhibition by Paine.
Chloe Summerhayes is a visual artist who often explores themes of the subconscious in her work. Her recent works are currently being exhibited at Suite Gallery in Ponsonby alongside those of artist Jeremy Piert.
Suite writes that Summerhayes’ work ‘often references the romantic and phantasmal history of painting whilst contending with the anxieties of the contemporary world.
'[Her] practice reflects the complex nature of mortal existence by finding and straddling the ‘in between’ spaces regarding dualities such as reduction/addition, minimalism/excess and abstraction/figuration.’
Sofia had a kōrero with Senior Curator of Global Contemporary Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Natasha Conland, about the gallery’s newest exhibition - Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey.
Eliasson is an Icelandic–Danish world renowned artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience, often speaking to a broader reflection of the history of human interaction with the environment and its impact, raising awareness about the climate crisis and the climate’s impacted state.
Beth had a kōrero with artist Chloe Summerhayes about her exhibition of recent paintings at Suite Gallery. Summerhayes is a visual artist who often explores themes of the subconscious in her work.
Sofia had a kōrero with fine art dealer and gallerist Charles Ninow about his new gallery which opened on Karangahape Road last week, and the current exhibition it’s showing by Ralph Paine - Leaves from a Pillow Book.
And for Stage Direction this week, Alice Canton joined us in the studio to give us her 2024 theatre round up of the year.
Eliasson is an Icelandic–Danish world renowned artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's experience, often speaking to a broader reflection of the history of human interaction with the environment and its impact, raising awareness about the climate crisis and the climate’s impacted state.
Sofia caught up with Senior Curator of Global Contemporary Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Natasha Conland, about Eliasson’s practice and the significance of this exhibition.
Florence Hartigan and Shoshana McCallum chat to Alice Canton about their shows, Me, My Mother and Suzy Cato and Merely Beloved! on at the Herald Theatre from 8-10 May.
Mayen Mehta and Ryan O'Kane from Auckland Theatre Company joined Sofia in the studio to chat about Murder on the Orient Express, on at ASB Waterfront Theatre 22 April - 10 May.
John Davies joined Sofia and Beth in studio to chat about Te Tupua - The Goblin, a solo play written and performed by Davies himself. Tickets for tonight's show at Te Pou Theatre here.
Ahi Karunaharan joined Beth and Sofia in the studio to talk about a mixtape for maladies, the final chapter of Karunaharan's trilogy. The play tells the story of 17 nostalgic pop tracks which chart the deeply moving journey of Sangeetha and her family in 1950s Sri Lanka. a mixtape for maladies is on at ASB Waterfront Theatre from the 4th March. You can get your tickets here.
Alice Canton spoke to artistic director of Auckland Arts Festival, Bernie Haldane, about the programme this year. The festival is running from 6-23 March. More info here!
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