Post by Wendy Bailye.
Kaiapoi Art Expo – Celebrating 10 Years
Kaiapoi Art Expo – Celebrating 10 Years
The 10th Annual Kaiapoi Art Expo will be held 10 – 12 July 2015 at the Kaiapoi Club.
The Expo will feature artwork from guests artists – Raymond Herber, Andrew Carran and Philip Trusttum.
2015 applications from March 23 to May 22. To apply fill out the application below and return including payment by Friday 22 May.
info@kaiapoiartexpo.co.nz
Art On The Quay opens its first exhibition
Over 100 artists and art supporters gathered on Friday evening for the opening of Art On The Quay, Kaiapoi’s new art space. Jackie Watson, exhibition co-ordinator, gave a special welcome to the Kaiapoi artists who have been agitating for a place to exhibit for some years now and praised the Waimakariri District Council for not just rebuilding what was lost in the earthquakes, but finding the room for the exhibition space in the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre.
Mayor David Ayers expressed his pleasure at seeing Kaiapoi getting back on its feet again, and Brian Hoult, chair of the Waimakariri Community Arts Council explained how Art On The Quay will provide the same service to the community as Rangiora’s Chamber Gallery although retaining its independence and developing its own character.
The final speaker was artist, Mary Kelleher, who said the title of the exhibition, A Stitch in Time, could be applied to the rebuild of Kaiapoi.
“A stitch in time is about the women of the great depression who made aprons out of sugar sacks with flair and care.
“ I hope you sense some of that spirit in my work, and it’s what I sense, when I see how Kaiapoi is mending itself with the flair and care that you see in this building.
“It’s about not letting circumstances take away your artistic inspiration.”
Kelleher’s exhibition is of six textile murals including The Mill is Kaiapoi.
Still Here / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Exhibition closes on 28th March
Over the past few months Cosmo has been surveying the red zoned, earthquake damaged areas of Kaiapoi. This has motivated him to produce a series of photographs of exiled residents in front of their red stickered homes, or the empty sites where their houses once stood.
He is inspired by the formal approach 19th century New Zealand photographers had towards family portraits and is transferring his feelings for this aesthetic into modern day family portraiture.
The juxtaposition of the residents, in front of their damaged properties, aims to communicate a sense of family unity against the odds, in this case the earthquakes. Many 19th century family portraits also emphasised the importance of family unity rising above the hardships of the day.
The participants in this exhibition represent a cross section of a community who lost their homes, but not their spirits. Each portrait is accompanied by a first person account of life since the first earthquake struck.
Cosmo used a Panasonic GH3 camera and a Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 prime lens.