MEDIA RELEASE
15 August 2005
Abstract war of worlds at Artstation
Abstract paintings will clash and collide in Gatecrasher — a dynamic new exhibition at the Artstation Gallery.
Two artists, Juliet Monaghan and Leeanne Wilson, will display their work in the exhibition, which will run from 30
August until 17 September 2005.
The painters are both recent graduates of the Auckland University of Technology and describe Gatecrasher as “control
versus catastrophe.” The exhibition creates a dialogue between their two disparate painting styles. Monaghan favours a
controlled and formal approach to painting whereas Wilson works in a more spontaneous manner.
Wilson’s work draws directly on her West Auckland upbringing and the culture of car customisation.
“There were no exhibition or gallery visits when I was growing up, but in the garage artworks were being made,” she
says.
Wilson mixes mediums like PVA glue and industrial printing inks to resemble “the pools of paint, buckets of tears and
car oil spills” she remembers from her youth. She pours and layers colours into aluminium trays allowing the mediums to
interact with little manipulation.
In contrast, Monaghan paints according to a mathematical formula and careful planning. Her bold geometric paintings
explore the impact of subtle shifts of repetitive line and rectangular form. Monaghan’s paintings are highly controlled,
yet she reveals energy, movement and instability within her structured compositions. Through both artists’ use of
strong, strident colour, their opposite styles share common ground.
Gatecrasher exhibition information:
Artists: Juliet Monaghan, Leeanne Wilson
Exhibition: 30 August – 17 September 2005
Opening: 5-7pm, Tuesday 30 August 2005
Artstation, Auckland City’s community visual arts facility, is located at the old police barracks at 1 Ponsonby Rd,
Newton. It is easy to get to by public transport with the Link’s ‘Artstation’ bus stop right outside.
ENDS