NEWS RELEASE
19 November 2008
Festive cheer to round off the year at Toi Pōneke Gallery
Looking for something different for Christmas? Pop along to Toi Pōneke Gallery on Abel Smith Street from 6 December for
Wonderland, an “alternative art version of Kirkaldie & Stains”.
At least a dozen Wellington artists have contributed works following a call from Sian Torrington, the force behind this
treasure trove. The gallery will be full of all sorts of gifts for your family, your friends, and maybe for yourself.
Sian says there will be useful and funky gifts for everyone ¬– gifts priced from $15, a wrapping paper and card section,
Christmas trees, alternative crafts and modestly-priced paintings.
“The idea is to provide a show which teeters between over-the-top kitsch and revelling in glittering festivities
together with a healthy dollop of humour and irony,” she says.
“Rather than trudging from shop to shop looking for the perfect gift, this show will provide the art version of
everything you need. There will be hand-made mince pies, custom gift-wrapping and cards alongside fabric reindeer from
craft wonder Michele Irving and new offerings from local artists Sam Broad and Mary Laine.
The Council’s Arts and Culture Portfolio Leader, Councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, says Wonderland is a brilliant
exhibition to round up the year’s “stellar cast of artistic and curatorial delights” at the gallery.
“After such a great year for Toi Pōneke Gallery, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with a collaborative
and fun exhibition by local artists,” he says.
Wonderland opens at 5pm on Thursday 4 December. Gallery opening hours are from 9am-7pm Monday to Friday. The gallery
will also be open from 10am-4pm on Saturdays until the last day of the sale – 13 December.
ends