Arnold Manaki-Wilson, Gordon Walters, Fiona Pardington | Art Basel Hong Kong 2016
23.03 - 26.03
BOOTH: LEVEL 1, CO3
Starkwhite will present an exhibition at Art Basel Hong Kong, from 23 – 26 March 2016, along with a project by Richard Maloy in Encounters, the section of the fair curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor (see separate release). It will be the gallery’s fifth participation in the fair.
The exhibition looks back to a moment in New Zealand’s art history – the intersection of modernism and contemporary Maori art – seen in the work of Arnold Manaaki Wilson (1928-2012) and Gordon Walters (1919-1995), and forward with the work of photographer Fiona Pardington (1961).
Described by art historian/curator Jonathan Mane-Wheoki as the “Godfather of contemporary Maori art”, Arnold Manaki-Wilson is of Tuhoe, Ngati Tarawhai and Scottish descent. Pioneering abstract artist Gordon Walters is a revered figure whose place in New Zealand’s art history is memorialised in the bi-annual Walters Prize at the Auckland Art Gallery – an award and exhibition modelled on the Turner Prize. Leading contemporary photographer Fiona Pardington is of Ngai Tahu, Kati Mamoe and Ngati Kuhungunu and Scottish descent. Her work is the subject of a major retrospective titled A Beautiful Hesitation, currently showing at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.
The Starkwhite exhibition responds to Art Basel Hong Kong director Adeline Ooi’s interest in exhibitions that provide historical and cultural contexts for contemporary art from the Asia Pacific region, seen at the fair by visiting curators and collectors.
We wish to acknowledge the generous support of Creative New Zealand with our participation in Art Basel Hong Kong 2016