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Finding artist Ronnie van Hout was never going to be hard. How many people could there be creating an 8m sculpture of a robot at any one time in Melbourne? Getting him to down tools while we talked proved more difficult. When we met, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based van
Hout had a week to get the colossal piece finished and installed outside the Royal Exhibition Building in time for the opening of the Melbourne Art Fair this weekend. Unfortunately, he was running behind deadline.
"It's taken me a bit longer than I thought, which is always the way," he says, while frantically scouring a robot leg with a piece of very worn sandpaper. "It's bigger than 8m actually and it's been a bit of a bugger to get done all on my own. I'm now starting to think I should have made it a lot smaller."
Commissioned specifically for the fair by non-profit contemporary art agency Satellite, the work - R. U. R. - has been constructed from giant pieces of polystyrene slathered in polyurethane and grey resin to create a solid metal effect. Named after the 1921 play by Czech playwright Karel Capek, the first to popularise the term robot, R. U. R. will lie prone, as though just fallen.
"I never like to publically theorise about my work because I like people to come to their own conclusion but to me he has just kind of given up," says van Hout. "I'm not sure whether that's a comment about society and technology today or whether the robot is just exhausted. I like the idea of trying to convey human emotions with non-human objects."
Though he has a solid reputation as one of New Zealand's leading contemporary artists, van Hout doubts whether he will actually make any money from R. U. R. but he reluctantly admits it's a good branding exercise. He's more hopeful of selling some of his smaller, but no less unusual, pieces being exhibited by his dealer gallery Hamish McKay.
And the odds are good. Almost 30,000 people, including collectors, curators and the art-curious, are expected to pass through the fair during its four-day run to view more than 3000 works on show by artists from around the world.
Fair organiser Bronwyn Johnston says New Zealand artists have always been popular at the event. "The New Zealand art scene is really strong and curators and collectors are always interested to see the kinds of works that Kiwi artists are producing."
Johnston makes a point of visiting New Zealand regularly to scout for talent and meet gallery owners who might be interested in participating. Two years ago she awarded Michael Parekowhai a commission to make a giant inflatable bunny to greet visitors, just as Van Hout's R. U. R. will this year.
Along with the financial benefits of participating, Johnston says it's important for artists to have the opportunity to give their work some context.
"We have worked hard to make the fair the biggest event of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. As such, the artists can examine what's going on in the rest of the world and exhibit their works alongside contemporaries from places like China, Japan, South Korea and India and we also have some galleries from Europe taking part this year.
"Because we have galleries, collectors and curators coming from all over the world it's really worth being in the position to be able to turn their heads your way. An art fair like this can provide artists with exposure that is otherwise just not possible."
Wellington dealer Hamish McKay agrees. This year will mark his third outing at the event and he is optimistic, despite the economic climate, that collectors and casual art buyers will be looking to spend.
"For us it's all about showcasing some of the best things we've got and getting it out there to a new audience," he says. "In the past we've had a lot of interest from Australian collectors but what is also interesting is that we get a lot of New Zealanders buying from the fair too. Because our gallery is in Wellington we find we are selling to quite a few Aucklanders when we go to Melbourne."
Along with van Hout, Hamish McKay Gallery will also be representing Billy Apple, Ricky Swallow, John Nixon and Rose Nolan.
Also from Wellington will be Bowen Gallery, exhibiting Joanna Braithwaite, Geoff Dixon and Euon Macleod and the Page Blackie Gallery with, among others, Emily Wolfe and Max Gimblett. From Auckland, Gow Langsford Gallery will be exhibiting Shane Cotton and the Jensen Gallery will show Jim Speers, Stephen Bambury and Jude Rae. British multimedia artist Martin Creed, who has exhibited in New Zealand, is being represented by Auckland's Sue Crockford Gallery. Chinese art superstar Ai Weiwei was to have taken part but has withdrawn because all of his works have sold.
According to organiser Johnston, the must-sees are the installation works from Australian-born, Dublin-based Ian Burns and pieces from Daniel Buren and Louise Weaver. She is also looking forward to meeting van Hout's robot. "Ronnie is one of the most interesting artists we'll be having at the fair; his work always gets a reaction."
Van Hout just hopes he can get R. U. R. there on time - he did - and that the sculpture will live on in some way after the exhibition.
"If someone wanted to get it dipped in steel I think it would make a great thing for children to climb on. The skateboarders would love it too," he laughs.
ART FAIR
What: The Biennial Melbourne Art Fair
Where and when: Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Buildings, Melbourne, to August 3
On the web: www.artfair.com.au
