Tattoos, Trump and good taste

WGP 26Oct16 - FAVOURITE: Photographer Richard Wotton with his portrait of Whanganui tattooist Trace.

MIKE: Having my body adorned with inked symbols, aka tattoos, never featured highly on my bucket list, nor on Joan's, as far as I knew. So it did come as something of a surprise, a few years ago, when she returned from a shopping expedition to Palmerston North with one of the aforementioned additions. It was discreet, positioned on her right ankle, delicate and attractively designed. A butterfly. Why this unexpected change of direction? Two reasons. To mark her 60th birthday and to be a permanent reminder of our first grandchild, Cassie, who survived only four days after her birth. Joan's decision dovetailed neatly with the title of Richard Wotton's new exhibition at the Sarjeant, Marking Time: Portraits of the Inked. This consists of 45 portraits, a body of work built up over some years, of people who display - or occasionally conceal! - this body art. In his introductory notes, Richard states how surprised he was to find that so many of his subjects had marked a significant event in their lives by a decision to have a tattoo. The photographs are diverse, not only in the obvious sense of age and gender, but also in the sitters' personalities, which Richard has skilfully brought to the fore. Poses vary considerably, some chosen by the subject, others requiring a suggestion or placement by the artist. One noticeable aspect is that all but two are looking straight at the viewer, making direct eye contact. Confident, uncertain, proud, nervous - various traits come through strongly. Richard chose to take the shots in black and white, which he finds 'semi-abstract - an almost architectural nature', in preference to colour, which could 'overwhelm the image'. In addition he employed a plain grey background 'to remove visual distraction from the surroundings and focus on the subject'.
Beginning in Whanganui, where he would 'leap on passers-by' in Victoria Avenue, casting an eagle eye over the clientele of the cafes, he searched for potential additions to his portfolio. Some refused, he said, but the majority were quite happy to accede to his request. As the project burgeoned, he included Wellington and Auckland in his itinerary. It was interesting to hear, however, that his first two photographs were taken in a Whanganui Tattoo Studio, with one of them, Trace, still being his personal favourite. No excuses for missing this striking exhibition, as it runs for three months, until early February.
Although this paragraph may by now seem out of date, it was started at 9pm on Wednesday, November 9, the day we travelled to Auckland. It was also the day Trump was elected President of America. As the bus took us north, Joan received constant updates by text from our daughter, telling us that Trump was steadily moving towards the required 270 votes. Despite knowing, as Obama put it, that 'the sun will rise tomorrow', we still felt stunned. At 9pm I had to walk out on his televised acceptance speech and put pen to paper. Gentle, modulated, almost apologetic, his words grated on my ears. Where was that strident, vitriolic abuse we had grown used to over the past couple of years? Where were the rabble-rousing statements about building walls, banning Muslims, bombing Isis out of existence, throwing Hillary into prison? Nothing of that tenor. In fact, praise for his opponent for her service to the USA and her hard fought campaign! Hostilities should be dropped in co-operation for the common good! It gives a new twist to the question, 'Does the end justify the means?' What a con artist! What a lack of decency and morality! Promises? What a charade! He's going to rebuild the economy, find jobs for thousands of unemployed, bring back industries to dying towns! Will Detroit, Flint and other places of that ilk be restored to their previous prosperity? Unlikely. Like Brexit, Trump represents a groundswell of popular opinion, a protest movement , rebelling against the widening gap between rich and poor, the unaffordability of housing, the lack of opportunity for people to improve their lives, the feeling of being mere ciphers in a world of powerful and impersonal conglomerates. These are all valid concerns, with which I can sympathise. But is Trump the person to correct them? First came 9/11, now 11/9 - two portentous dates for the world.
A brief list of what, as I write, we will miss in our city this weekend, while in Auckland. The Sarjeant's Blueprint, with the Architects' Talk, floor plan of the new extension and tours of the old gallery, the Samuel Drew Lecture, a first birthday celebration at Fine Arts, Sunday music by Abacus, two exhibitions at Whanganui Arts @ the Centre, plumber Dan's exciting duck race! (Not forgetting a rehearsal of Key for Two! But I'm learning lines!) Here in Auckland we have intriguing exhibitions at both Museum and Art Gallery. Not the variety of Whanganui, perhaps, but still.....!
For aficionados of choirs, the next few weeks promise a real treat. First up is Schola Sacra, on November 19, with the ebullient Jonathan Berkahn on the organ and the shyly talented Lisa Boessenkool on piano supporting the choir's programme of Purcell and Britten. Early in December the Male Voice Choir's concert will present a changeover of its female personnel, with Judy Barrett now on piano and Abby Livesay as conductor. The next week the community Choir's concert features a guest artist. In 2008 I directed the pantomime Aladdin at Repertory, where the beautiful young princess was played by a beautiful young lady, Harfren Jones. It is a genuine pleasure for me to have read recently that Harfren will return to our city as guest artist for that concert.
Finally, as we walked away from an incredibly moving film, I, Daniel Blake, we stopped to admire some glass in an up-market shop. "I know that style," said Joan. And she did! It was the work of Lyndsay Paterson. We proudly mentioned this to our daughter, who pointed to a lovely platter on her coffee table. 'L. Paterson 2006'! She has taste!
¦ mjstreet@xtra.co.nz