You had me at 'polar bears'

This image in a Salon slideshow of abandoned towns and buildings made my brain dart straight to Michael Stevenson.



The caption sealed the deal:

At 79 degrees north, Pyramiden was once an ideal Soviet community of 1,000 settlers: self-reliant, with free food and 50,000 books in the library. In 1998, mining was no longer sustainable and the settlers were given a few hours to pack. Melancholic remnants of their hasty departure are everywhere: dried-up plants on windowsills, Tolstoy on dusty shelves. We carry guns; a necessary precaution as Pyramiden now belongs to polar bears and cackling seagulls, nesting in windows and on rusted playground swings.

I have my fingers firmly crossed for a Michael Stevenson Soviet utopia with bonus polar bears.


Then again, perhaps we have a Michael Parekowhai on our hands? According to Wikipedia:

The world's northernmost grand piano is located at Pyramiden; a "Red October" (Красный октябрь) grand piano is located in the auditorium of the cultural centre.

Born and bred

Today - time permitting, after last week's three and a half minute babble - I'll be talking on the radio about Michael Stevenson's show at the MCA in Sydney, and Martino Gamper, Francis Upritchard and Karl Fritsch's collaboration 'Gesamtkunsthandwerk 2011' at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth

Michael Stevenson

Michael Stevenson exhibition website

Michael Stevenson's website

Gesamtkunsthandwerk 2011

Gesamtkunsthandwerk - the exhibition - GBAG website (and hallelujah for this new and delightful thing, with more installation images than any other NZ art gallery website I can think of)

Martino Gamper's website

Interview with Martino Gamper - New York Times

Francis Upritchard at the Venice Biennale

Review & photos of Karl Fritsch's 2010 Wellington shows

Me talking about Karl Fritsch on Nine to Noon last year (scroll to the end of the recordings)

Thinking of Michael Stevenson

Reference Number: Eph-A-WAR-WII-1939-01
Reference Number: Eph-A-WAR-WII-1939-01
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.

Curatorial challenge

The Rita Angus retrospective has got me thinking about survey shows.

One of the things that works in favour of the Angus show is the consistency of format and subject matter. It helps a big show hold together for a mass audience who might not be familiar with her work or New Zealand art history.

So how would a curator work with an artist whose practice has gone through a bunch of twists and turns? How would you take an audience with you from here



to here?



Images:
Michael Stevenson, Grave Flowers Louisiana, 1992. Oil on board. Image from the Hamish McKay Gallery website.
Michael Stevenson, The gift, 2004–06. Aluminium, wood, rope, bamboo, synthetic polymer paint, WWII parachute and National Geographic magazines. Collection Queensland Art Gallery, image from the APT5 website.

Idle speculation

The Arts Foundation Laureate Awards are being held tonight in Wellington. Last year's Laureates included John Reynolds; previous visual arts Laureates include Peter Peryer, Michael Parekowhai, Ronnie van Hout and Julia Morison.

My baseless list of possibilities for tonight:

• Shane Cotton
• Peter Robinson
• Seraphine Pick
• Julian Dashper
• Bill Hammond

And - possibly a rank outsider, because I don't think the Foundation awards to artists based mostly outside of New Zealand, but deserving nonetheless - Michael Stevenson.

NEWER UPDATE Shows what I know.

UPDATE Over the net have pointed out that the male to female ratio of awards to visual artists so far is 4:1 (and that's before you count Warwick Freeman. But if you count him, do you count Ann Robinson? Hmmmm).

My own factoid: no artist has represented NZ at the Venice Biennale and become a Laureate.

Totally unrelated, an interesting article in the Guardian about readers' reports, the invisible arbiters of the publishing industry.