"Kabuki: The art of transformation" (Dunedin Public Art Gallery)
The unique, complex culture of Japan during the 19th century had a strongly hierarchical social structure. In this society, artists of all forms were held in high regard, and the deeply symbolic idealised images of ukiyo-e ("floating world") art gained widespread appeal, especially as a way of depicting legendary scenes from Japanese history.
As the exhibition's name implies, the works in this exhibition largely focus on Japanese traditional theatre.
Imagery relating to traditional warfare is a major element of several of the pieces, as it was a common subject within the theatrical framework.
Twelve works are presented, all of them in triptych format. Rather than being three separate images, as normally found in Western triptychs, three sections of the same scene are depicted separated by thin white dividers, much like looking at an image through a multi-paned window.
The works are vibrant, with strong colour and dynamism, and are often of great complexity.
Simultaneously, they retain a clear stage-like setting, most evident in the deliberately constructed posing and composition of characters, and the mask-like nature of the protagonists' features.
The skills of the artists are clearly evident, the woodblock prints having been created delicately and exquisitely.
"Transformed", Benjamin King (A Gallery)
The title also refers more spiritually to the biblical themes touched on in the exhibition, and the eternal conflict between the soul and the flesh.
Transformation is also key to the artist's inspiration - a specific biblical passage in which Jacob wrestles with a mysterious figure, after which his name was changed to Israel.
On a more playful level, the title has further meaning - the science-fictional figures which the artist has created are strongly reminiscent of the "Transformer" toys which convert from one form to another. In King's works, two giant figures stand opposed ready to lock together in battle.
The wooden figures are luridly coloured steampunk robots whose forms were inspired by an old tabletop wrestling game, and they have been well crafted with humour and attention to detail.
A third sculpture hangs on a wall nearby. Created from card coated in sand, it shows a meticulous aerial fly-by of Bethlehem, yet in the company of the two robots it appears almost as a science-fictional space battle-cruiser. Again, the attention to detail makes this a very attractive work.
"Summerland", Rob Piggott (Community Gallery)
Two parallel series are presented in the current exhibition. The first, the "Daybreak Series", consists of abstract pastel works exploring the borderlands between night and day, light and dark.
Brightness erupts from the centres of the paper, pushing at rigid linear edges beyond which lies darkness.
The colours are vivid and violent, and there is a clear expression of the forcefulness with which the two halves of existence push at each other's boundaries while remaining simply two aspects of the same world.
The remaining works - the "Wanaka paintings" - might almost be considered abstract impressionism, if such a term was not a contradiction. Grid-like black lines overlay simple forms in a gentle and limited palette of blue, white and gold, all presented on plain canvas.
The colours and shapes imply the landscapes of Central Otago, and a strong sense of place and light emerges from these minimal elements.
The intent is to provide memory-triggers of the landscape, or alternatively to remain as sheer artistic experiments in abstraction.
On both accounts these works succeed; they are aesthetically pleasing in themselves and also strongly evocative of the light and land around the lake.
- James Dignan
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