Sleight of Hand 2014. Installation view, Dunedin Public Art Gallery
MARY McFARLANE left: Lament I 2008. Mirror plate and mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and The Diversion Gallery. right: Blue Black I 2008. Mirror plate and mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and The Diversion Gallery
front: JAMES ORAM left: Neural Market 2014. Chain, laminate, custom vitrine, HD video (Tracking, 2014 and After Tracking, 2014), customised hat and chair frame. back: GRAHAM FLETCHER Untitled (The Petrified Object) 2014. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
GRAHAM FLETCHER Untitled (The Petrified Object) 2014. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
JAMES ORAM left: Neural Market 2014. Chain, laminate, custom vitrine, HD video (Tracking, 2014 and After Tracking, 2014), customised hat and chair frame. right: Wallpaper 2012. HD video, 9min13sec. Courtesy of the artist and Chalk Horse
JAMES ORAM left: Neural Market 2014 (detail). Chain, laminate, custom vitrine, HD video (Tracking, 2014 and After Tracking, 2014), customised hat and chair frame.
MIRANDA BELLAMY Post Script I, Post Script II, Post Script III 2014. Hygrothermograph, human hair, paper, stainless steel, aluminium, nichrome, laminated glass, acrylic, PVC, electrical components, peltier, heatsink, fans, microcontroller, notebook computer, GSM modem, custom software. Courtesy of the artist
MIRANDA BELLAMY Post Script I, Post Script II, Post Script III 2014 (detail). Hygrothermograph, human hair, paper, stainless steel, aluminium, nichrome, laminated glass, acrylic, PVC, electrical components, peltier, heatsink, fans, microcontroller, notebook computer, GSM modem, custom software. Courtesy of the artist
JUSTIN SPIERS left: Erasing the White Castle 2010 (in collaboration with Erin Coates) Infrared Video. Sound Track: Aidan Baker. right: When all is silence 2014; White Line 2014; Unknown Pleasure 2014; Untitled landscape 2014. Pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist
JUSTIN SPIERS The Workshop End 2014; Barn, Momona 2014. Pigment prints, Courtesy of the artist
MARY MCFARLANE Moon (Series) 2014. Mirror plate and mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and The Diversion Gallery
MARY MCFARLANE Moon (Series) 2014. Mirror plate and mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and The Diversion Gallery
KATHRYN MADILL The Blue Train (detail) 2014. Mezzotint (print edition 10). Courtesy of the artist
KATHRYN MADILL The Blue Train (series) 2014. Mezzotint (print edition 10). Courtesy of the artist
KATHRYN MADILL The Blue Train (detail) 2014. Mezzotint (print edition 10). Courtesy of the artist
left: KATRINA THOMSON Monumental Ignorance 2007. Timber and acrylic paint. Courtesy of the artist. right: MARY MCFARLANE Moon (Series) 2014. Mirror plate and mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and The Diversion Gallery
KATRINA THOMSON Monumental Ignorance 2007. Timber and acrylic paint. Courtesy of the artist
KATRINA THOMSON Monumental Ignorance 2007 (detail). Timber and acrylic paint. Courtesy of the artist
MADELEINE CHILD The Art of Leaving 2014. Clay. Courtesy of the artist
MADELEINE CHILD What if the Gorse Flowers Shrivelled and Kissing Were Lost? 2014. Ceramic, clay and glaze. Courtesy of the arist
MADELEINE CHILD The Art of Leaving 2014 (detail). Clay. Courtesy of the artist
Sleight of Hand
Recent work by Dunedin artists
16 August 2014 - 16 November 2014
This exhibition, in its widest constructs, brings together a selection of artists currently producing work in Dunedin. Within this, the show explores detailed elements within both the works themselves and the diverse artistic practices including; a strong attention to detail, illusion, theatricality and transformation. Sleight of Hand includes works by Miranda Bellamy, Madeleine Child, Graham Fletcher, Mary McFarlane, Kathryn Madill, James Oram, Justin Spiers and Katrina Thompson.
Sleight of Hand is a term most commonly used to describe clever manual dexterity and deception when performing magic tricks. In Dariel Fitzkee’s 1944 book The Trick Brain he discusses nineteen fundamental effects in the successful secret manipulation of objects, such as cards and coins, including production, transformation, identification and control. The Sleight of Handexhibition employs this term to denote and hint at transformation and artistic control but also broader aesthetic concerns such as illusion, theatricality, manipulation, spacial awareness and a strong attention to detail.
Some of the biggest trends in current contemporary art practice involve challenging the conventional art-and-spectator relationship; questioning the role and place of the artist in the production of the artwork; and placing the artist in the role of anthropologist. Through these ideas the works in Sleight of Handquestion the current world we live in by highlighting elements that are often overlooked; explores self-generation and environmental control; plays with illusionary space and the fine line between intention and luck; and utilises techniques that transform and manipulate materials.
The subject matter, materials and varied methods of production that are showcased and examined in this exhibition include painting, printmaking, moving image, photography, installation, ceramics and sculpture. In its wider context Sleight of Hand provides a glimpse into the current Dunedin art scene, as the eight artists selected are currently living and producing work in Dunedin. It is an exciting proposition to bring together such a diverse group of artists, some of whom have never exhibited at the Gallery before.
View the exhibition labels – click here