Immersive and emotive - The Dowse spring season
This spring, The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt has a collection of shows that are perfect for quiet reflection and
lively debate, followed by a sumptuous treat at the new café, Bellbird Eatery.
With a full fleet of new exhibitions exploring our impact on the earth, our heritage and our history, a visit to The
Dowse is time well spent.
“This season we have brought voices from around Aotearoa and Australia into the gallery,” said Director Courtney
Johnston. “While each show is refreshingly different, each also addresses urgent and important issues. From the
allocation of resources, to kaitiakitanga of land, self-expression and whakapapa, each of these shows is an opportunity
to think through some of the most fundamental questions of our time.”
“These exhibitions show our commitment to fostering the creation of new art, to bringing the best of international art
to New Zealand, and to sharing our collection. This spring sees everything from contemporary jewellery to documentary
photography at The Dowse. We encourage visitors to make the most of this opportunity to see this wide range of
contemporary art before we reshape the museum completely with our ambitious summer project, a survey show of New Zealand
photographer Gavin Hipkins, which will be on an unprecedented scale for The Dowse.”
19 Aug – 12 Nov 2017
Limits to Growth is the first survey exhibition of Australian artist Nicholas Mangan to be held in Aotearoa New Zealand. With a strong
research base in history, science and visual culture, Mangan's work addresses a range of themes, including the ongoing
impacts of colonialism, humanity's relationship with the natural environment, contemporary consumptive cultures and the
complex dynamics of the global political economy.
15 Jul – 05 Nov 2017
For over 40 years, Fiona Clark’s style of documentary photography has continued to capture the essence of the
communities she has been a part of, so they can be better understood. Her photographs from the 1980–81 series Te Iwi o Te Wāhi Kore and more recent images taken in the 2000s reflect the activities, concerns and taonga of tangata whenua of Taranaki.
15 Jul – 05 Nov 2017
Just as whakapapa (genealogy) reflects someone’s lineage and biology, the starting line of a kete determines how its
patterning and size will develop. In Flat-Pack Whakapapa, Maureen Lander will create three installations that explore the connections between whakapapa and raranga (Māori
weaving).
Summer season preview
25 Nov 2017 – 11 Mar 2018
The Domain will be an expansive survey of Hipkins’ work, bringing together 25 years of art-making. It will reveal an ever-evolving
practice that returns again and again a set of core concerns: photography as the predominant form of modernist visual
communication; the nation state and national identity; exploration and colonisation in the modern era; and how social
and political ideologies visually shape the world we live in.
Bellbird Eatery
We are delighted to welcome Bellbird Eatery to The Dowse.
Our newest addition is modern and upmarket with an emphasis on fresh seasonal fare sourced locally in the Hutt Valley.
The tap beer is brewed locally, coffee roasted locally and bread baked locally. The menu features an eclectic mix of old
school favourites along with some new dishes with a twist!
There is also a supa dupa kids menu on offer, with a not too obvious healthy slant.
Weekdays: 8AM–4PM (late night Thurs & Fri, open till 8PM)
Weekends: 9AM–4PM
Check out their delicious menu here.
ENDS