Function meets art at new exhibition

A newly opened exhibition at Art Vault is one to delight locals and visitors alike. This is the third exhibition organised to coincide with the Go Wild With Weaving event which takes place in Collingwood over Easter.

Designed to showcase the work of the tutors, it also includes a diverse range of over 100 baskets and woven objects from other artists near and far. Director Grant Knowles calls it a “national/ international show”, with at least half of the contributing artists hailing from other parts of the country and even one from the United States. “This is an exhibition that can sit happily in a high-end gallery anywhere in New Zealand; in fact, it could probably sit in a fancy gallery in New York, it’s so good.”

Exhibits include a mix of traditional and contemporary objects, from baskets and hats to sculptural works, and the innovative use of a wide range of materials. Traditional harakeke and willow sit alongside more unusual organic fibres such as fig root, lancewood, and seaweed, and inorganic materials including plastic, metal, and recycled rubber.

Grant says the event has gone beyond just the functional. “It’s now ‘function meets art’, completely left field. In some of the pieces the artists have really pushed those contemporary boundaries, rather than sticking to the old regime of what they normally do.”

Grant believes that due to the large number of local basket artists and weaving workshops, Golden Bay has now become a known destination for basket weaving in New Zealand.

“These artists have inspired other people through their teaching. And I think that whole collective of co-creation has also given this exhibition a special unique flavour.”