ARTSPACE presents every cloud has a silver lining an exhibition to mark its silver anniversary and twenty-five years of developing and supporting contemporary art in New
Zealand.
From the outset Artspace was going to be something different, its three founders: Mary-Louise Browne, Wystan Curnow and
Sandi Morrison recognised the need for an alternative space, somewhere that would exhibit contemporary art unlikely to
be accommodated in the other, more conservative art galleries that were operating in Auckland at that time. As Wystan
Curnow puts it: “Artists here working in installation, photography, film and video and performance art were being shut
out. These things made me angry”.
Artspace was formed in 1987, it has since had four different venues, moving from Federal Street to Quay Street via the
George Fraser Gallery in Princes Street, ending up in Karangahape Road, and has been led by eight directors: Mary-Louise
Browne, Priscilla Pitts, Lara Bowen, Robert Leonard, Tobias Berger, Brian Butler, Emma Bugden and Caterina Riva, each of
whom offered a passionate perspective on contemporary art and its shifting conditions.
“The art scene has certainly changed in twenty-five years, Artspace has also changed, renegotiating its place, adjusting
the terms of its relationship. The scene has grown much larger, more complex, and more global. It is true that other
galleries and organisations have added their voices or staked prior claims to Artspace’s critical role, from within both
the public and private sectors, leaving it less room in which to move. However, Artspace’s mandate, structure and
history remain unique, and continue to afford it opportunities for interventions on the art scene that make a
difference” states Curnow.
Every cloud has a silver lining will present archival material as well as re-purpose elements of key exhibitions at Artspace. It will celebrate the many
artists, curators, art critics and writers that helped shape the organisation into the major force in contemporary art
that it is today and also challenge others to ensure that it remains so.
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