Fragile construction on show

MIKE: The fragility of the constructions in Delineate is almost beyond belief.
After his tenure of the Tylee Cottage residency in 2017, Peter Trevelyan has returned to the Sarjeant Gallery with an extensive exhibition of sculptures, ranging in size from the minuscule to the mighty. In his public discussion with Greg Donson, on Saturday morning, he revealed that, as a child, he had loved model making, using balsa wood, tissue paper, harakeke, etc. Later he proceeded to drawing, especially birds, and from here art school seemed a natural step.

His early penchant for precision, sketching countless delicate lines, changed to sculpture, after he was gifted a large amount of graphite pencil leads from a defunct engineering office. What had been work in 2D, "linear perspective", was not reality, so 3D forms became his raison d'etre, using these leads, a meagre 0.5mm in diameter, plus adhesives. Working from The Art of Science, a book containing many examples of line drawings, he "unpacked" these 2D exemplars into 3D images.

Peter explained to his audience how he developed the pyramid ("actually a tetrahedron") near the gallery entrance, by cutting up the leads into a large number of similar length, before assembling them into the required form.
When asked if he worked from drawings, he stated that there was no pre-drawing or formula to be followed. He simply started, added bits where needed and the construction was virtually self-propagating. It seemed obvious to me that the quality most required for such work would be patience. This notion was soon floored, as he claimed that he was not an especially patient person.

Several different aspects of his work are on view, since this exhibition is a selection of his sculptures over the past 10 years. Archives 1 I found extremely attractive. From long-sight of a few metres the objects seemed to be black at their centre, but, as one approached, it was the close positioning of the leads which caused this "fuzziness". These were termed "organic" sculptures, as they did not follow any rules, but grew from the core outwards. In addition, they required more application, as each individual lead had to be cut to an exact length, unlike the "regular" works. These "organically formed" constructions were most demanding on the accuracy and precision of his assembly with tweezers. Larger works also needed longer lead lengths, often of 60mm, but occasionally up to 120mm. Naturally, the longer the lead, the greater the likelihood of collapse under strain.

Among all the fascinating variations on display, I found that Book Works particularly appealed. The artist decided that old books could be hollowed out and a miniature sculpture placed inside, on the lines of spy films, where an innocuous book cover would be opened, revealing a gun neatly slotted inside. Taking a book titled Confusion, he placed it, having hidden a small sculpture inside, on a shelf in the semiotics section of the library at Victoria University, where it stayed for four months! Did anyone open it? Was it ever taken out of the library for a page-turning thriller? Does anyone use that recondite (there you go !) area of the library? Well, apart from being staggered by the skill of these sculptures, I've also added a new word to my vocabulary. "Semiotics" — the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

JOAN: We walked into the peaceful atmosphere of Whanganui Community Arts Centre to view the Pakaitore Exhibition, a fine collection of paintings, photographs and prints by students studying Visual Art at local institutions. There was a serenity about both the rooms, a wairua emanating from the certainty of the message that each work offered. This was truly a spiritual experience for me.

There was skilful work on view. I was most impressed by the techniques being taught and achieved, especially by students from Whanganui High School. I envy them. Whanganui Girls' College, Rangitikei College, along with UCOL were finely represented too. Where the technique was not always fully achieved, the message and feelings expressed were strong and challenging. Pakaitore now and in the past had been well researched and the works reflected a strong link with all that this place represents.

I am allowing myself to mention especially, the artists I most admired for artistic and emotional reasons. The Crown Takes All by Grace Swanston, the lighting on the photograph by Shelby Sears and the strength of Bloodshed by Oisin Broadhead. I admired Andrew Wong's Guardian, the angle of his photography starkly showing Herewini as he guards us all. The expression on the face of Panama, photographed by Sharice Campbell is unforgettable. The young Maori girl asks for pardon for past wrongs and the right to be acknowledged for her own identity.

Each of the many pieces of work comment on our history and each one is so very personal. I was quite stunned that so many offerings of such quality could come from our young people. The last photograph that I looked at and whose message was so very sobering was by Connor Munro. It depicted a present-day soldier standing, rifle at the ready, on some "foreign field" and was entitled Get Off My Lawn! How true it is that we continue the same aggression today, trampling over the land of other countries with the same cruelty and insensitivity of old. There was a message of hope, too, in this exhibition, with a possibility that awareness can bring change. I wish the exhibition could run longer and have wider exposure country-wide.

MIKE: Last week saw a triple opening at Space, the artists being MB Stoneman, Michelle Colson and Ruby Duncan. In Gallery 1, Stoneman's The Dark Matters consists of a series of 15 monotypes. Each was made in a single sitting of under four hours, ensuring that the ink would not dry out. Her figures are described as "isolated silhouettes, suspended in space". To my untutored eyes they projected an image of Indian mysticism.
Michelle Colson's trademark paintings light up Gallery 2. Bright, cheerful and zany — meant as a compliment! — they give the appearance of large blotches of acrylic paint running freely over their base, rather Jackson Pollock-ish. They are described by the artist as "capturing the interplay between gloss and matt, the edge, metallic and golds". The raised edges make them look more like oils, the paint being viscous (thanks, Perry!) in its application.
The Pop-Up Gallery features pottery by Ruby Duncan. Titled Home Base, these hand-made ceramics — vases, mugs, pots, etc — are described as bringing "the comfort of her home to yours". This simple, warm statement represents exactly the aim behind her homely creations.
The displays run until June 1.

Comments and suggestions to mjstreet@xtra.co.nz