Art Seen: May 26

In this week's Art Seen, Samantha McKegg looks at works by Alicia Frankovich, Yonel Watene, and Philip James Frost.

Rapture (2010), by Alicia Frankovich.

"Bodywork'' presents three major works from the gallery's collection that address the body as a central theme.

Luise Fong's large triptych Dredge (1997) is at the centre of the exhibition. Fong has layered ink, gouache and acrylic paint over gesso-plastered boards. The triptych has a biological appearance and looks like a magnified view of skin that is covered with microscopic organisms.

Ronnie van Hout's I've Abandoned Me (2003) is the artist's iconic exploration of self-portraiture. The work consists of two life-size resin sculptures of the artist, which stand awkwardly in the gallery space turned towards mounted screens. One is watching landscape scenes, and the other watching a video of the real artist, who confronts and questions his own sculpture as well as visiting onlookers.

Separated in a darkened space is Alicia Frankovich's Rapture (2010), a sculpture made of suspended neon tubes draped with a white T-shirt. Frankovich creates tension by alluding to potential movement in this delicately balanced work.

"Bodywork'' is unique as a collections exhibition as it does not present a large number of works, but instead encourages a close examination of the three works exhibited.

Maori Boy with a Patu, Wearing a One-Off Custom-made Shirt by Tuhirangi Blair, by Yonel Watene.

A Row of vibrant portraits lines the long front window of Savoie de Lacy, a new gallery space in Ravensbourne Rd.

Auckland-born and, as of recently, Dunedin-based, artist Yonel Watene opened the space this month with his exhibition Crowning of the Poor, a series of new paintings that explore how clothing and accessories are used to create individual identities and are an important mode of self-expression, particularly for groups that feel disenfranchised from society.

Watene's style is bold and graffiti-like with strong lines and bright, contrasting colours. The artist uses a combination of spray paint with acrylics and oil paint markers to create works that combine careful composition with free-hand paintwork.

Watene paints each figure in a distinctive, patterned shirt and hat, and uses accessories to create the identities of characters, including Fancy Boy with Parisian Cat and Posh Boy with Bouquet.

Watene further connects his work with fashion in Maori Boy with a Patu, Wearing a One-Off Custom-made Shirt by Tuhirangi Blair. The painting depicts a real shirt, which is hung next to the image and is included as part of the work.

Connected to the artist's studio, the gallery is open while Watene works and welcomes visitors most weekday afternoons, or a visit may be arranged by contacting Yonel Watene through yonelwatene@savoiedelacy.com or (022) 650-6027.

‘Crowning of the Poor’’, by Philip James Frost.

Gallery De Novo has stripped back its walls and dedicated the entire gallery space to Philip James Frost's Hey Hey, My My.

Frost, who has been increasingly gaining popularity since his 2012 solo exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, has produced a broad body of new works that demonstrate a range of themes and styles.

This collection is particularly bright and the majority of works have bold backgrounds of orange, blue, lime green and highlights of fluorescent tones. Frost draws figures, faces and feet in manic compositions marked with heavy-handed work, sketched lines and scrawled text.

Frost's use of text adds a sense of the artist's own voice, and across the series a vernacular of shouts and calls emerges.

For me, the most appealing works show groups of figures with long bodies and scribbled faces. In some works, the figures lean together suggesting the momentum of a collective, and in others figures stand stoically dressed in contrasting colours.

In such an expansive exhibition, however, a surprising uniformity emerges. At a glance, many works appear to be drastically different, but viewing en masse the collective exhibition highlights Frost's eye for harmony amongst chaos and his ability to produce heavily-worked pieces that are not overcomplicated.

-By Samantha McKegg