Peter James Smith

Exhibition View 

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Peter James Smith, Glen Wolfgramm, Bepen Bhana, Joon-Hee Park, Dylan Lind, John Madden,
Paul Jackson, Prakash Patel, Simon Allison

These artists choose to paint New Zealand from their own perspective, not in a blue skies, red pohutukawa way, but in a way that combines something of their past with a response to where they live in the here and now. The West Auckland urban experience of Glen Wolfgramm contrasts strongly with the elements of the Pacific he brings into his work. His is a true blending of motives. You’re not going to see the sparkling seas and waving palms, nor are you going to see green hills and sheep. What you are seeing is an urban experience, a response to the cityscape, the noise, roads, buildings. In behind you will see canoes, fishing nets, carving, pacific foliage, waves, currents. 

The criteria for selection was, all these artists bring a sense of self to their work, an element of separation, nostalgia, and yet in equal parts elements of inclusion, submersion even, into this place. And, if one searches for it, perhaps an element of fear, unease, fracture. Time doesn’t soften the experience of departure, nor does it dull the anguish of arrival, time only creates space to live. For the children of new settlers separation isn’t so much measured by time and distance, it’s often measured by difference. These artist’s response to the landscape is filtered by who they are, how they experience where they are, but also by how they can incorporate the ‘where’ with the ‘who’ and find answers to the questions of what makes them feel both at home and homesick.