Various Artists with Sofia & Maya

Cinemal: the Becoming-Animal of Experimental Film is artist, writer, and senior lecturer at the Victorian College of Arts at the University of Melbourne Tessa Laird’s latest book. 

Inquisitive, passionate, and attentive is Laird as she traces the ways in which experimental films mimic the mystery and magic of animals, examining how they’re depicted in film and the animal qualities that transpire in cinema, like scratching and sniffing, vibrant colours, and voices. 

With a focus on films from Aotearoa, Australia, and South America, Laird’s energetic, observant, and illustrative prose brings together personal anecdotes with art theory and philosophy. In identifying these cinematic animal tropes, readers are encouraged to rethink what it means to be human and our own animal nature, reminding us that we, too, are animals. 

To launch Cinemal, there will be a special screening of films by Nova Paul, Corinne and Arthur Cantrill, Sriwhana Spong, Tina Stefanou, and Peter Waples-Crowe with Glynn Urquhart, featuring a live soundtrack by Phil Dadson tonight at the Audio Foundation in association with Melanie Roger Gallery. 

Sofia had a kōrero with Tessa Laird about Cinemal: the Becoming-Animal of Experimental Film and the film screening tonight. 

Maya had a kōrero with artist Zina Swanson about her current exhibition, Their Seeds are Winged and Borne in Pairs, on at Sumer Gallery. 

And Sof had a kōrero with artist Nick Austin about his current exhibition Breath Spectrum on at Coastal Signs Gallery. 

Whakarongo mai x

Zina Swanson is a Ōtautahi Christchurch-based artist working amongst an artistic practice of painting, drawing, sculpture and instalation. Her practice delves into the exploration of the both fluctuating and porous relationship between humans and the natural world—often looking into these uncanny plant-related lores that occupy a slight nod to a darker view of humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Her current exhibition on at Sumer, Their Seeds Are Winged and Borne in Pairs continues and builds on Swanson's exploration of the natural world, navigating its rhythms and textures. Within this exhibition Swanson looks to the Sycamore plant, specifically their seeds. Producing an inquisitive new body of work that includes series of paintings, both acrylic on canvas and watercolour on paper, as well as human scale sculptures in clay and painted steel. 

Inviting us to look a bit closer at the natural world around us, and ponder in its porous boundaries between humans.

Maya had a kōrero with Zina Swanson about the show and overall practice.

Dialogues in Video Art showing at George Fraser gallery, is an exhibition that brings together video works from the Chartwell collection, one of Aotearoa's most significant collections of contemporary art, along with video works from current students and recent graduates of Elam School of Fine Arts.

Curated by visiting scholar US art historian and curator Alex Bacon, alongside assistant curator and current Elam student Audrey Goggin. Coming together to showcase the works of Elam students, and alumni along with the rich collection of moving image works from the Chartwell collection. A Collection that spans nearly 20 years of work from established Aotearoa and Australian artists.

Dialogues in Video Art brings these works together in space to create this really beautiful, interconnected conversation between works. Speaking to themes of embodiment, duration and the natural world. Continuing this generative circulation of video art, and the dialogues that surround them.  

Maya caught up with assistant curator Audrey Goggin about the show.