Before arriving at Necessary Distraction: A Painting Show at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, I am aware of two things. First, that the exhibition comprises work by artists from Aotearoa. Second, that its installation design includes sometimes unclad, sometimes unpainted walls. These, it transpires, are visible even before you enter the exhibition proper. Crossing the threshold, I come to the...
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is not in the business of placing outside bets. Inside Outside Upside Down: Five Contemporary New Zealand Artists—curated by head of contemporary art Natasha Conland,[1] and comprising materials held by the Gallery—is thus a showcase not merely of five contemporary NZ artists, but of five of the most celebrated practitioners to have emerged in recent years.[2] It...