Museum art show raises roof

CORRUGATED: Jeff Thomson's creations are "fun and quirky". PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Rotorua Museum is hosting an award-winning exhibition of work by a Kiwi sculptor described as the "Corrugated Iron Man of Australasia".

Corrugations: The Art of Jeff Thomson opened yesterday and is free for Rotorua residents.

It promises visitors a "fun and quirky" insight into the "unique processes" Thomson uses to craft his sculptures. Exhibits include an iron-clad Morris Minor, French knitting, and corrugated bouquets of flowers.

"I think that people relate to the material as it is so common. To see it used in such unusual ways seems to delight and amaze people," Thomson said.

Corrugations showcases three decades of the sculptor's work. Developed by Tauranga Art Gallery, it was crowned best exhibition under $20,000 at last year's NZ Museum Awards.

The show brought record numbers of visitors to the gallery on opening in June 2013, and has since toured nationally, stopping at spaces including Waikato Museum, Hastings Art Gallery, and the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui.

Thomson focused on painting and printmaking as an art student. But a love of walking discovered in the early 1980s brought him into contact with a new medium: corrugated iron. He has been experimenting with the material ever since. "[I'm] constantly looking at new techniques and ways of working ... over time my techniques have become refined, so some commissions reflect this."

Rotorua Museum director Stewart Brown said visitors would be excited by the exhibition. "It's amazing to see what Jeff has created with corrugated iron - the pieces are incredibly detailed for such an unwieldy material," Mr Brown said.

Thomson said he was looking forward to his work coming to Rotorua. "I had a solo exhibition at the then Bath House [now Rotorua Museum] back in 1991, so I know the space well although there have been changes since then."

-Corrugations: The Art of Jeff Thomson will run until June 21.