City Gallery Spring Program

2010 Spring Program

General Information ‘City Gallery Wellington has achieved a reputation for innovation and style, inspiring and challenging its audiences...’

City Gallery Wellington has recently under gone an exciting $6.3 million building development designed by architect Stuart Gardyne. The project involved a new two storey addition as well as seismic strengthening of the existing building.

Upstairs the much loved Michael Hirschfeld Gallery relocates to an enlarged gallery space, and the new Deane Gallery will exhibit Maori and Pacific artists. The new tower will also include the multipurpose Adam Auditorium.

Wellington City Gallery Front Entrance , Photograph 2010.

Wellington City Gallery Stairwell Photograph 2008

Downstairs, the existing foyer will become a beautiful new gallery space, the Russell Hancock Gallery. Walk-through access from Harris Street will provide a vibrant thorough fare to Civic Square. The enlarged, new-look City Gallery Wellington re-opened in spring, 2009.

This is an exciting time in the Gallery’s history.

The development will add to our reputation as a world class centre for unique New Zealand and international exhibitions.

Paula Savage, Director.

City Gallery Wellington is a dynamic cultural presence in the capital city of Aotearoa New Zealand. Established in 1980, City Gallery Wellington was the first significant non-collecting exhibition based public gallery in New Zealand.

Since moving to its current location in Civic Square in 1993, City Gallery Wellington has achieved a reputation for innovation and style, inspiring and challenging its audiences with a world-class programme of exhibitions and arts-related projects.

City Gallery Wellington creates a focus for contemporary visual arts, architecture and design in Wellington through local, national and international exhibitions as well as international exchanges and joint ventures with other art museums.

Architect’s Vision ‘This project allows us to create architecture that offers new spatial experiences both internally and in the public realm.’

It is a rewarding project to again be involved with major design work on the City Gallery.

The original conversion of the old public library was an opportunity to create a contemporary art gallery in an historic building; this project allows us to create architecture that offers new spatial experiences both internally and in the public realm.

We have treated the new work on the Gallery as a contemporary layer, allowing the richness of the building’s history and 1930’s stripped

Wellington City Gallery Foyer Photograph 2008 Wellington City Gallery Russel Hancock Gallery Photograph 2008

classical architecture to be expressed. It communicates the Gallery’s contemporary focus, while the original retains visibility and dignity. The addition will be clad in an open metal webgrate rainscreen, identifying it as discrete from the original building, and forming a relationship with the contemporary stair and lift tower additions of 1993. The rainscreen is simple, bold, yet unexpected, supporting City Gallery’s role to challenge preconceived notions of art and design.

The character of the new galleries is derived from the ceilings. These are elevated; a roof lantern will increase the sense of height and space, while providing controlled natural light. The proposed flooring is solid unfinished timber boards laid in the manner of old warehouse floors, and will acquire a patina acknowledging age and past exhibitions.

Perhaps the most noticeable change will be the Russell Hancock Gallery, replacing the existing cinema. This will connect directly to the foyer,

increasing options for hosting functions and events.

Revealing the original windows in the north façade will improve transparency into the Gallery and provide a connection to Harris Street.

Spring Exhibitions Thaw 1–28 Oct.

D. George; Pulse 1 Oct.– 24 Nov.

Perhaps disillusioned by lack of recognition from his expeditions to Antarctica, the enigmatic Ernest Joyce brought together a collection of photographs that cemented his place in history.

Stretching more than fifty metres and reaching from floor to ceiling Pulse is an engulfing fusion of customary Maori art and contemporary abstract painting, using intricate patterns, chanting rhythms and an eye-popping palette of red, black and white.

Russell Hancock Gallery

Roderick and Gillian Deane Gallery of Maori and Pacific art

Auripo Road Grahame Sydney Egg Tempera 1979 Reboot Inflatable Sculpture 2009

Reboot 1 Oct.– 30 Dec.

Keeping Time 1– 24 Nov.

G. Sydney; Our Landscape 1 Oct.– 28 Nov.

An energetic multimedia exhibition of contemporary art from the Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection, showcasing acclaimed New Zealand artists alongside international luminaries. A Dunedin Public Art Gallery touring exhibition.

Exploring the moment when past and present collide, this collection based exhibition teams Dennis O’Connor’s monumental limestone sculpture The Gorse King with a selection of works and other media to consider how history, memory and tradition frame our experience of the world.

The etchings and graphic works in the exhibition date from 1975 through to 2008 and feature a variety of subjects, from the familiar and much loved Central Otago landscapes, through to intense portraits and figure studies.

West Gallery

Michael Hirschfield Gallery

South Gallery

Phone 64 4 801 3021 Email citygallery@wmt.org.nz For more information on what to see and do in Wellington, visit the official tourism website, www.WellingtonNZ.com Gallery opening hours will be 10 am – 5 pm daily (except Christmas Day).

Admission is by donation/koha. Admission charges may apply to major exhibitions.