New Exhibitions At Solander

Kyla Cresswell

New Exhibitions At Solander

Two exhibitions open at Solander this coming Wednesday 20 May, Rona Green: Flashy Tasty and Manuel Lau: Beasties. As an added bonus Solander and Mark Hutchins Gallery have synced up their exhibition openings, so you can enjoy twice as much art in one evening – the galleries being just a hop skip and a jump from one another at 216 and 218 Willis St.

Rona Green

Flashy Tasty

20 May – 13 June

In 'Flashy Tasty' at Solander, Melbourne artist Rona Green investigates non-verbal forms of communication: body language, adornment and decoration. The exhibition presents sassy dogs, salty seabirds and other tattooed animal characters in handprinted and handcoloured linocuts and monotypes.

Well known in Australia for her peculiar images of creatures bearing marks and scars that tell of past experience, this is Green’s first New Zealand solo exhibition. In Flashy Tasty Green explores ideas about identity and the darker side of the psyche. Through the absurd characters that inhabit her pictures the artist endeavours to connect with the viewer’s understanding of acceptance and exclusion.

Inspiration comes from the artist’s affection for animals and her interest in popular and sub cultures. The human-animal hybrids she invents are based on observation and are a musing on the nature of the individual, particularly those on the fringe of society. Tattooing is of specific interest as designs can represent stories as well as contain information about proclivities, affiliation and social status.

Green has been the recipient of several awards for her printmaking including the Geelong Print Prize, Swan Hill Print Acquisitive Award and Silk Cut Award for linocut prints Grand Prize. Her work is represented in numerous private and public collections.

Rona Green will be in Wellington for the exhibition opening and will be giving a talk on her work at 5pm before the opening, on Wednesday May 20th. Join us and be in to win one of two spot prizes on the door – a Rona Green soft sculpture ‘poppet’ doll or a set of Rona Green tattooed pet badges.

Manuel Lau

Beasties

20 May – 13 June

Manuel Lau (b.1967) grew up in Lima, Peru and currently lives in Montreal, Canada. He studied printmaking at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Lima.

Drawing on the cultural richness of his Peruvian, Chinese and Canadian background, Manuel produces work reflecting his personal story in each of these cultures. A combination of reality and fantasy, Manuel’s images portray scenes where wild animals and humans interact in dreamlike landscapes. His recent ‘Ventanas’ series depicts a collection of windows in ink and watercolour, showing a myriad of portraits, text, plant and animal studies highlighting the cultural influences in the artist’s life. The 2008 Beastiario series portrays creatures from the animal kingdom that co-exist with humans, embodying the conflicting emotions the artist felt on a recent trip back to Peru.

Manuel has exhibited in Peru, Poland, South Korea, Japan, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, the United States and Canada. In 2006 he completed an artistic residency at the Landis National Museum of Hesse in Darmstadt, Germany and in 2009 undertook the Quèbec Arts Council, Studio in Paris International Residency.

Manuel’s career has seen him receive many awards both in Canada and overseas. His work is represented in a number of private and public collections including; Loto-Quèbec, Banque Nationale du Quèbec, Hyundai Arts Center Gallery - Korea, Bibliotèque Nationale du Québec, Canada Council Art Bank, the Consulate General of Peru in Toronto and the Canadian Embassy in Argentina.

Wine supplied by Murdoch James.

What: Exhibition Openings of Rona Green: Flashy Tasty and Manuel Lau: Beasties

When: Opening function 5.30 - 7pm Wednesday 20 May. Exhibitions run until 13 June. Artist talk by Rona Green at 5pm prior to the opening.

Where: Solander: works on paper, 218c Willis St, Te Aro, Wellington

Website: solandergallery.co.nz

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