"We can see where contemporary work has grown from so it makes the exhibition accessible and offers a clear entry point," Devenport says. "We can see the artists themselves as rebels and dreamers; as voices of resistance, as providing portals to the imagination and responding to social, political and ideological change."
Perhaps it's the vast expanse of ocean, maybe it's the language or it could be the politics and history; whatever the reason, when we think of our neighbours, we don't tend to look across the Pacific to South America. But the 12,719km divide that separates us is getting easier to bridge. Air New Zealand now flies direct to Argentina's capital Buenos Aires; Auckland's Latin American community is growing fast.
Devenport says there have been strong signs from gallery-goers of a growing interest in South America.
"They've told us they're curious to learn more about the region, so Space to Dream is our response. It is a dynamic and sensual experience which reveals parts of South America's tumultuous history and politics, and gives insights into its many cultures and hopes for the future. The exhibition offers rare and remarkable encounters with a continent that is relatively unexplored in New Zealand. We want Auckland Art Gallery to be known as the best place in the world to see New Zealand art, but also to provide a space where encounters between New Zealand and the rest of the world can take place."
The exhibition itself has its genesis in a cross-cultural encounter of sorts. The gallery's principal curator, Zara Stanhope, curates Space to Dream with Chilean curator Beatriz Bustos Oyanedel after the two met through the South Project.
Arising out of the 1999 Melbourne Visual Arts Biennial, the project aimed to develop a network of artists and writers from Southern Hemisphere countries. Conversations between Stanhope Marcos Lopez's Terraza. Sao Paulo, Brasil, 2012, digital print.
and Bustos sparked the idea for Space to Dream.
Stanhope says much time was spent researching and meeting with artists, including two trips to Chile, Brazil and Argentina to visit studios and galleries, as well as creating the overall concept for the exhibition. They spoke to contemporary artists about what and who informed their work, getting a clear message that there were artists from older generations who needed to be included.
Space to Dream also aims to create connections between featured artists and those in New Zealand. Numerous artists' talks, film screenings, panel discussions and themed weekends run throughout the four-month duration. Next weekend's opening includes, among many other things, a Curators' Tour where Stanhope and Bustos will lead a tour of the exhibition.
Exhibition
What: Space to Dream: Recent Art from South America
Where and when: Auckland Art Gallery, from May 7.
For the full programme, see aucklandartgallery.com
