Springcleaning

This slideshow on the Guardian website, showing how the British Museum conducts its annual cleaning of its Haida totem pole (hint: a cherry-picker, a special vacuum and a "conservation-grade" sponge) reminded me of my favourite moment at the Christchurch Art Gallery the other week when I saw a woman in white gloves slowly moving round Michael Parekowhai's My Sister, My Self




and gently wiping the dust off its glossy paint finish.

I'm intrigued by Parekowhai's glamorous blow-ups of dinky figurines, and would love to see My Sister, My Self joined by this new work currently on show at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Seldom is Herd.



Images
Michael Parekowhai, My Sister, My Self, 2006. Fibreglass, automotive paint, mild steel and wood. Collection of the Christchurch Art Gallery.
Michael Parekowhai, Seldom is Herd, 2009. Automotive paint on fibreglass. Installed at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.