MIKE CRAWFORD

MIKE CRAWFORD

Crystal Palace

23 Aug - 17 Sept 2014 www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

milford galleries queenstown

9A Earl Street (03) 442 6896 qtown@milfordgalleries.co.nz

1

Waka Huia (Steel Blue) (2014) cast glass, size: 150 x 510 x 135 mm

Kupenga Jugs (Black) (2014) 2 pieces; cast glass, large jug: 273 x 240 x 193 mm, small jug: 237 x 190 x 130 mm

2

3

Kupenga Jugs (Aquamarine Blue) (2014) 2 pieces; cast glass, large jug: 278 x 245 x 195 mm, small jug: 224 x 185 x 135 mm

Kumete (Pale Cobalt) (2014) cast glass, size: 175 x 477 x 253 mm

4

Kowhaiwhai Bowl (Cobalt) (2014) cast glass, size: 293 x 403 x 316 mm

5

Kupenga Bowl (Clear) (2014) cast glass, size: 187 x 250 x 195 mm

6

Raupo Urn (Black) (2014) cast glass, size: 407 x 250 x 250 mm

7

Kumete (Cobalt) (2014) cast glass, size: 203 x 465 x 245 mm

8

9

Kowhaiwhai Jug (Pale Cobalt) (2014) cast glass, size: 460 x 210 x 145 mm

Waka Huia (Pale Aquamarine) (2014) cast glass, size: 120 x 470 x 125 mm

10

In Crystal Palace, Mike Crawford imagines a meeting of minds between Māori artisans and those from the British Arts and Crafts movement of the 19th century.

Directly referencing “one of the major events in the history of British decorative arts the Great Exhibition of 1851,” (1) Crawford skilfully weaves together two visual art traditions.

The hue (gourd) is a departure point for a number of the pieces in Crystal Palace.

The swell of the Kupenga Jugs suggest the fullness of ripe fruit and the twisted necks of the gourd can be imagined in the solid curves of the handles. The raised pattern of netting, used here as a decorative device, is Crawford’s nod to the utilitarian origins of the forms.

The statuesque Kowhaiwhai Jug and Raupo Urn both sport kowhaiwhai patterning that Crawford has pared back to a spare ornamentation. The sinuous lines emphasise the volume and scale of the vessels and on Raupo Urn the fronds reach up from the base of the work, recalling the repetition of a William Morris fabric or later Art Nouveau florals. On smaller vessels, the incised patterning is complex and dense as “kowhaiwhai patterns morph into a flowing, organic motif that borrows from the patterns of Victorian decor.” (2) Working on a conceptual level as a metaphor and cultural signifier, Crawford’s use of embellishment on his glass works operates on a physical level as well. Unadorned works in the collection draw attention to the clean lines of the form and the volume contained in the work; they appear to absorb light and glow softly with a calm presence. Where the surface of the glass is broken up with flowing lines, so too is the light fragmented as it is refracted back off multiple surfaces. This movement of light engenders a sense of energy as the viewer walks about the work or the light conditions change.

Mike Crawford’s works reveal a finely poised balance between concept and craftsmanship, and as the original Great Exhibition in 1851 showcased the best of the best, so too does Crystal Palace.

1. Lucy Hammonds, Crystal Palace, July 2014 2. Ibid.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST

1

Waka Huia (Steel Blue) (2014)

3,750

2

Kupenga Jugs (Black) (2014)

3,750

3

Kupenga Jugs (Aquamarine Blue) (2014)

4,000

4

Kumete (Pale Cobalt) (2014)

5,000

5

Kowhaiwhai Bowl (Cobalt) (2014)

6,000

6

Raupo Urn (Black) (2014)

5,000

7

Kupenga Bowl (Clear) (2014)

3,500

8

Kumete (Cobalt) (2014)

5,000

9

Kowhaiwhai Jug (Pale Cobalt) (2014)

4,500

10

Waka Huia (Pale Aquamarine) (2014)

3,500

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

MIKE CRAWFORD b. 1979, lives Napier

Mike Crawford: Kumete (Cobalt) (2014)

"Mike Crawford is... the creator of elegant, often intricately carved, cast glass hue (gourds), bones and teeth. Working on a small scale, thereby increasing the sense that these are pieces to be treasured, Crawford reworks traditional Maori art forms and artefacts, conveying subtle commentaries on multicultural New Zealand." (1) "The recognition of Dutch still life paintings, in themselves often created as memento mori, lends another layer to this reading. Memento mori or vanitas paintings, intended as reminders of the fleeting nature of youth, of life, and of the passage of time, have prevailed in European art for centuries. While Crawford’s groupings do not display the more blatant motifs, the solemnity of their colouration and the forms’ evocation of historic ways of life contribute to a similar effect." (2) Mike Crawford has a Bachelor of Design majoring in Sculpture from UNITEC School of Design in Auckland. In 2006 he was a finalist in the Ranamok Australian and New Zealand glass prize. His work features in the public collections of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Dowse Art Museum and Waikato Museum as well as private collections in Zealand, Australia and North America. In 2010 Crawford’s 'Moa Bowl' was selected for the prestigious applied arts and design exhibition 'Talente' in Munich, Germany.

1. Joanna Trezise, Pango: Mike Crawford, 2008 2. Ibid

Mike Crawford 2014 CV P a g e |1

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

MIKE CRAWFORD b. 1979, lives Napier EDUCATION 2002

Graduated from Bachelor of Design Degree (Sculpture Major) Unitec School of Design, Auckland

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2014 2013 2012 2010 2008 2007 2005

Crystal Palace, milford galleries queenstown The Bird Collector, milford galleries queenstown Bird Lore, Masterworks, Auckland Art on Life, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington Mantel, Masterworks, Auckland Pango, Masterworks, Auckland Hue, Masterworks, Auckland Mihi, Masterworks, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2014 2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2003 2002

The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown Birds, Birds, Birds, Masterworks, Auckland Architecture of the Heart, MTG Hawke’s Bay, Napier The Review, milford galleries queenstown The Review, milford galleries queenstown The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown Chosen, milford galleries queenstown Summer Show, Milford Galleries Dunedin The Familiar Ben Pierce, Mike Crawford, Black Barn Gallery, Hawkes Bay Nga Pou Whenua, Waikato Museum, Hamilton Traverse, Milford Galleries Dunedin The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown Talente, Munich, Germany Wallace Art Award, Touring Exhibition, The Dowse Art Museum The Earl Street Journal, milford galleries queenstown Glass 09, milford galleries queenstown Glass : Ann Robinson, Layla Walter, Mike Crawford, Black Barn Gallery, Hawkes Bay Intimate, Masterworks, Auckland Ranamok Contemporary Glass Travelling Exhibition, Australia The Gift Exchange, New Dowse Gallery, Lower Hutt NZSAG Members Show NZ Glass, Masterworks, Auckland Absolut Invitational Exhibition NZ Glass, Masterworks, Auckland NZ Glass, Masterworks, Auckland

AWARDS 2012 2011 2010 2008 2007

Creative New Zealand New Work Funding Selected New Zealand Artist, New Glass Review, Corning Museum of Glass Selected Artist Wallace Art Award, Auckland Selected New Zealand artist, Talente 2010, Munich, Germany Creative New Zealand, New Work Funding Finalist in Ranamok Prize for Contemporary Glass

Mike Crawford 2014 CV P a g e |2

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

COLLECTIONS The Dowse Art Museum Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Waikato Museum University of Waikato Represented in private collections in New Zealand, Australia and America

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2012 2008

Hammonds, Lucy, Bird Lore: Mike Crawford, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland, 2012 Trezise, Joanna, Pango: Mike Crawford, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland, 2008

Mike Crawford: Koreke (NZ Quail) (2012)

Mike Crawford 2014 CV P a g e |3

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz