Anna Leese & Terence Dennis 25/8/2008

Purcell: Sweeter than roses; If music be the food of love
Haydn: The Spirit's Song; She never told her love
Britten: Two Songs from On This Island
Walton: Three Sitwell Songs
Alvarez: La Partida
Guridi: Two Canciones Castellanas (Castillian Songs)
Richard Strauss: Brentano Lieder, Opus 68
Puccini: Concert Aria O fior del giorno (Edgar); Concert Aria Chi il bel sogno (La Rondine)

I actually only stayed for the first half (again) though I thoroughly enjoyed Leese's performance. I especially liked the way she took the hall with her confidence and eye contact. During performing, plentiful of facial expressions and some graceful body gestures worked well within the context.

I admit being not good at selling, but I was only a volunteer. So all the smiling and greeting were unnecessary, so was the dissatisfaction from certain old ladies. Let's say when one pays 50$ for a ticket, why not 5 more dollars for a programme? If you so want the 2$ discount, present the voucher! And surly I am not going to take 2$ just because you don't have enough money. Kick me like a vending machine, would you.

Takács Quartet 23/7/2008

Featuring - Edward Dusinberre: violin, Károly Schranz: violin, Geraldine Walther: viola, and András Fejér: cello.

Yeah, was quite an experience -- a good one, needless to say. one of the best yet this year.
i helped out selling programmes so was fortunate enough to be granted a free pass to the concert. though i dont know anything about music, the programme included:
Haydn - String Quartet in G minor Opus 74 No 3 'Rider'
John Psathas - A Cool Wind, world première of new commission by CMNZ
Beethoven - String Quartet in C Opus 59 No 3 'Rasumovsky'

have been to a few chamber music new zealand concerts this year, and i just don't think i like john psathas' work very much. it seems to me that the instruments are used as means to imitate natural sounds, which makes me enjoy less of the whole atmosphere. it becomes 'trying too hard,' if i may say, from my ignorant personal point of view.

Encore was Allegretto (Polka) by Shostakovich, i liked it.

Fwd: 'THE GRAVY' LAUNCH EXHIBITION

'The Gravy' is back on TVNZ Showcase for another series exploring Aotearoa's creative culture so please join us to celebrate with an exhibition of work featuring:

PETER MADDEN, SAM RULZ, HAYLEY KING, LIYEN CHONG, DOMINIC HOEY, NADINE SMITH, JARED DAVIDSON, DEREK SONIC THUNDERS, JOHNNY McCORMACK, SILENCE

When: Wednesday 26th March 5.30 - 7.30pm
Where: Gallery 3, St Paul St Gallery, 39 Symonds St, Auckland Central

Expo : Sigmar Polke - Music from an unknown source

St Paul St Gallery : Sigmar Polke (1941-)
40 gouaches with a format of 70 x 100 cm, all dating from the year 1996, are the core of Sigmar Polke's exhibition bearing the name 'Music from an Unknown Source'. These pictures give insight into an artistic oeuvre which has a singular position in the contemporary art scene of today and belongs among the most significant of the German postwar era.

To be quite frank, I found this exhibition a bit boring. If I had to only look at each one individually, I would have found it more interesting. For me it seemed like a study of colour and form and the material (yea, like what I've been doing lol); a lot of painting or non-painting techniques, such as dripping, flowing and just letting go -- allowing to happen. The factors set for this project are obviously the dimensions and materials -- everything took place within the frame, contained in a picture of a certain format (70x100cm). But I was not sure what he wanted to capture, or present; not sure what the work's relation to music was -- perhaps the bright poster-like nature in the gouache medium, perhaps the dotted figures/objects against a happy whimsy background, or just a daily mundane rhyme on a 2D surface... and perhaps therefore from an unknown source.. lol


Sigmar Polke: Inscrutable master of the unexpected
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/polke/
http://wwar.com/masters/p/polke-sigmar.html

Expo : Portrait of a marriage - Deborah Smith

30/11-21/12/2007
Opening Friday 30 November at 17h30

One photo a day, day after day for 365 days, from one wedding anniversary to the next, Deborah Smith's project Portrait of a Marriage can be read as a diary on the one hand, a series of questions investigating boundaries for portraiture on the other.

I saw a man, half naked at times, often wearing a blank expression on his face; a boy jumping happily in the garden, the summer warmth; a woman and her camera, silent. Objects, the house, and the city. Rich in colour, but the presentation did not trigger much dialogue in me, at times I found it hard to engage in this almost generic auto-biography format.

It has to be personal and it also has to speak to others. I felt this negotiation through the depiction of objects, sites, changes of focus and perspectives. I also felt that this project could have been operated by a few different people, perhaps at a particular time on a particular day, she decided to see this marriage in a complete different way. .. No, I am not reading this right. But did she demand any deeper reading? There was hardly intimacy in the horizontal bands of pictures.

And I wondered, did she only take one photo a day, or she selected one from the hundreds a day?

=====================================
Frances Hodgkins
http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/H/HodgkinsFrances/HodgkinsFrances/en
http://www.johnleechgallery.co.nz/artists/featured/franceshodgkins/

Joan Didion
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4956088

Elam Open Days 2007

preview function fri 9/11/2007 @ 18h.
Lv2 Main Fine Arts Building
20 Whitaker Place

"Elam Open Days 2007 is an exceptional opportunity for the public to see the calibre of talent coming out of our School and to understand why Elam is renowned as the leading fine arts school in New Zealand," says Associate Professor Derrick Cherrie, Head of Elam, the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries (NICAI). "Our Master of Fine Arts, Postgraduate Diploma and Bachelor of Fine Arts programmes provide the platform for academic and artistic development at all levels and the results, quite clearly, are outstanding."

Don't know whats gonna happen, might as well go and have a poke around. Well wth i just live across the road of course i'd have to be there. Would be gud to see all the Art... sorry... no one makes art around here... oops.. sorry... i should stop making dangerous statements. but who cares really i get nervous too easily and fok up everything. it's exactly the reason behind all my sorrows. yea right whatever, talking it up again.. but maybe that's who i really am - a big fat bluff so as to comfort my own insecurity... insecurity in what? being too happy, too optimistic, too naive, too passionate about life and therefore losing focus in the art of living.. sorry i used that word again.

anyway i just want to hind myself in my a-hole and constipate.



============
18h Thu 8/11/2007 GambiaCastle. Exhibition Opening: Stuart Sherman

18hFri 9/11/2007 ArtSpace. Exhibition Opening: Tom Kreisler

13h Sat 10/11/2007 GusFisher. Talk: Jonathan Gibb and Linda Tyler on Vernon Brown

15h Sat 10/11/2007 ArtSpace. Talk: Aaron Kreisler in response

18h Mon 12/11/2007 Elam Lecture Theatre. Kitty Anderson and Gavin Delahunty: Against Cultural Confinement. Easy Listening Monday 12th November

On the road

This land so flat and empty, roll me over and no one would care.

Yet I insist Auckland being a dull town

Packed, this student town towers up apartment buildings that divide the remaining sky. Through my paces the hostile hilly roads reveal the natural colours that've been overlooked. .. yea, as if I cared at all.

14/07/2007 Lucia di Lammermoor

Opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, after Sir Walter Scott
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
With the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus
Accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

Based on Sir Walter Scott's original novel, "The Bride of Lammermuir", Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor is one of the most exhilarating Italian operas of the 19th century. Set in the wild landscape of a Scotland split by blood-feuds, Lucia is a passionate story of star-crossed lovers - a tale of love and betrayal, desire and deception, blending the passion and intrigue of great drama with music of intensity and elegance.

Leading the cast is Elvira Fatykhova as Lucia, performing one of the greatest and most musically brilliant prima donna roles in the world of opera with its famous "mad scene" and offering a thrilling showcase for colourtura display. Lucia has been a signature role for many famous sopranos who have made it their own, including Dame Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas. Joining Miss Fatykhova will be Bulgarian tenor Yvan Momirov (Edgardo) and Welsh baritone Jason Howard (Enrico), along with New Zealand singers Jud Arthur, Carmel Carroll, Benjamin Fifita Makisi and Derek Hill.

Have you ever been to a live performance and think: wow, this is so great, so much better than staying at home listening to CDs. Yes, I have -- but certainly not this one!! I am no opera critic but i know the overall performance has not given me much thrill.

Lucia di Lammermoor is great probably because of its story background, yet there is not as strong a story line in the opera. Some scenes seem unnecessary and seem to be showcasing the coloratura sopranos. Fatykhova's voice was perfect for this role actually, flawless and sweet. I just didn't really enjoy the way she changed the tone of voice, sudden rises of voice that could have exploded your ear.. for some, it may be the essence of the whole opera experience.. but I thought she could have been smoother. My favourite piece in the opera is "Chi mi frena" where Edgardo sings calmly in desperation for Lucia's faithlessness. However, this phase did not live up to my expectation in the live performance: Momirov's voice was swallowed up by others' given that his voice was low to start with. I have to say, though, that Momirov was my favourite performer that evening: his clear and definite technique in handling the range of tones, lucid and lively body language et al... truly pleasant!!!! =)

Howard was one of the performaners that I enjoyed the least. Good vocal but no acting.
The orchestra was just ok, the solo sucked a bit. At least coordination was okay.
The hall was much better than Auckland Town Hall, what is the town hall for anyway?

Hemer's Paint Lust at Full Thrust

André Hemer
Paint Lust at Full Thrust

25 May 2007 - 16 June 2007
Preview 24 May 17h30-19h

Vavsour Godkin Gallery
2nd Floor 35 High Street,
Auckland New Zealand


André Hemer is a Christchurch based New Zealand painter whose paintings have widely been exhibited throughout New Zealand and overseas. During the Auckland Art Fair (18-20 May 2007), Hemer's works would be represented through Vavasour Godkin (Auckland), and 64zero3 (Christchurch).

Hemer's solo show at Vavasour Godkin "Paint Lust at Full Thrust" presents Hemer's latest paintings. . Ooo, I'm excited!!

for further information place refer to the artist's website - André Hemer

Auckland Art Fair

18-20 May 2007
Don't know exactly its significance
my say is that it has little
Yet who wouldn't want to be involved
If only its events and functions were
less pricey
120NZD entry to the elites' world
Perhaps I should just waitress there and see
what art they have to say and sell
the word 'vernissage' sounds
so much better than 'opening'
But
isn't it just an opening?


Vernissage is a French word that refers to the final flourishes made to a painting before public viewing. The word has evolved into a term which refers to the opening night of a significant art event. The Auckland Art Fair Vernissage gala party is just that."

- http://www.aucklandartfair.co.nz/functions.htm

whatever it is, it seems to have little to do with me
yet I still wish to go to the fair

Expo : Cont.Artists from China

Contemporary Artists From China
Cui Guotai, Danwen Xing, Feng Zhengjie, Frank Fu, Li Luming, Luo Brothers, Miao Xiaochun, Sheng Qui
9/02-3/03/2007 Gow Langsford Gallery


15/02/2007
Auckland can be depressing, I see artists of my age participating in ‘big’ events whereas I just shh around still not putting in much effort doing what I should be doing. Well, this is not a place to discuss WHAT I can do (for that the discussion would be far too long and lack of significant direction), I just want to write about something I saw and enjoyed.

“In Memory of Contemporary Art” by Frank Fu is probably the only piece worth seeing in this exhibition – and actually, you don’t even need to go into the gallery space to enjoy this piece – it’s an installation performance piece in the gallery window on Wellesley Street. http://www.gowlangsfordgallery.com/featured/contemporaryartistsfromchina/frankfu.asp
Well, I figured that the official documents are always useful when you need some back up info or simply when you are not in the mood to write. Another interesting fact, he is the only artist out of the eight who is Auckland-based, I guess there is certainly this cultural barrier in the presentation and appreciation of art/Art that attracts me to his work.

Would like to continue this writing if I get the chance to talk to the artist himself, chances are probably pretty high, I imagine.

James ROSS

James Ross
The Red Studio – Small paintings and sculpture 1982-2006
Curated by Luke Smythe
9/02-2/03/2007 The Gus Fisher Gallery

10/02/2007
Despite the un-popularity of people attending the artist’s talk to this exhibition, I nevertheless hold an opinion that this is a rather worth-seeing painting show. For that this exhibition is simple, well-installed, and the selection of work was good – it gives a clear idea of the artist’s practice in painting-sculptures, or sculptural-paintings. In an exhibition space no bigger than your living room, and full of bloody red on the walls – there is however relaxing ambiance in the room in which all the paintings set quietly. And one next to another, they vaguely tell a 20-year long process of the practices of their creator.

Vaguely as it may have seem, catalogues provided in the gallery explained everything.. and probably even more than what the general public needed to read about 10-ish paintings in an exhibition. Ross himself did go on a detailed talk on each painting – I arrived late but was impressed to see his explaining to only one person attentively.

What I liked most about this show was its clarity and simplicity – one of the exemplary exhibitions to take your friends to see and have a (nearly) purely objective discussion afterwards. His use of colours, shapes of supports and materials used, incorporation of objects and forms, his 2D and 3D definitions to presentation, etc. Clockwise in the room we could see the gradual change of colours from dark red to orangy red; creating dimensions by painting on irregular supports, or by cutting or building up impastos. The last piece in the gallery that was installed standing out from the wall acted as such a foreign object and had me wonder leaving the room.

“So, it was a painting show.. EH!”

13/02/2007 SH 1023

Hiromi TANGO

Hiromi Tango
3/02/2007 13h10 The Gus Fisher Gallery

I saw her;
I met her;
I watched her;
But how should I describe her?

“I am a very serious person, Art is a life or death matter to me – I might be killed during my performances/projects, but one of YOU can continue…”
I can’t recall just exactly how many times she repeatedly put emphasis on her loyalty and commitment to Art, while at the same time could not justify what relation did her personal life has to do with Art and with the society as a whole. “It is communication..” a voice inside of me suggested “..and so?” in absurd denial I rejected the thought.

I needed more, this could not satisfy me!

“I don’t understand why whenever you talk about Art you have to place yourself so much higher than most others, as if you think you were better than everyone else!” Aurélien exclaimed after I expressed my opinion about the lack of information during the talk.

“You often say that you observe people, but did you see how you broke her when you asked her the question?” Where ‘the question’ referred to my “What use is communication?” to Hiromi, but what other question can be simpler than this?

“Hope.” After a few seconds of uneasiness she replied promptly.

I sensed self-protection and the general over-glorification of Art. And so I stopped – instead of reading into her practices, I should care more about mine. I may have embarked on the same route but I have abandoned the path in search for a greater proportion of objectivity in one’s practices.

What use is communication, I ask myself.

True living works of art, too many of them make me sick.
It is Community after all.

Is it Community after all?
I don’t know. I really don’t.

Maybe when I have the ability to burn my everyday life on DVDs and present them in some kind of festival, I would be able to testify my own ‘pessimistic’ statement.


13/02/2007 SH 1023