Di ffrench The Useful Idiot and Arnolfini’s Hat 1984. Cibachrome. Collection Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Di ffrench. Still image from Gut Reaction Performance 1981. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Still image from Fontanel performance/installation 1981. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Still image from Fontanel performance/installation 1981. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Still image from The Opinion performance/installation, Auckland 1984. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Still image from The Opinion performance/installation, Auckland 1984. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. The Life Drawing Class 1990. Cibachrome. Collection Christchurch Art Gallery
Di ffrench. From the Raising of Adam 1986. Cibachrome. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Coding/Observer 1992. Cibachrome. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate.
Di ffrench. The Idea Becomes Extinct 1990. Cibachrome. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Portrait of Glenda Norris 1994. Cibachrome Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate.
Di ffrench. Roto Kawau No.2 1996 from Magnifications 1996. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. The Girl in the Canoe 1996 from Magnifications 1996. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
Di ffrench. Magnifications 1996. Installation detail Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Di ffrench. Self Portrait (View Finder Series) 1990/94. Cibachrome. Courtesy of the Artist’s Estate
di ffrench
Activating Ideas
14 March 2009 - 17 May 2009
`Art works can disturb’ (Di ffrench 1988)
Di ffrench (1946-1999) was one of New Zealand’s most dynamic and original artists of her time. During the eighties and nineties (from her base in Dunedin) she worked as a sculptor, performance artist, photographer and filmmaker. Refusing to adhere to tradition and conventional solutions for art practice, ffrench indefatigably pushed boundaries. First it was through performance/installation work where she used her own body as a tool to challenge complacency in the face of topical socio-political issues. This work was followed by several groups of “constructed” images resulting in cibachromes that revised the notion of The Body in art. At times this feisty, uncompromising, talent revealed her sensitive and contemplative side, as seen in the groups of small disk-like photographs and the film Shelters (1996).
View the exhibition texts – click here