Arty facts: News from the art world

A look at what's happening in the world of art this week.

Wheeler's works

A retrospective exhibition of works by 90-year-old Oamaru artist Colin Wheeler, who was born in Dunedin, starts at the Artist's Room, Dowling St, on Saturday.

"Past Times" will have earlier oils, including a very early portrait of Old Bill, some watercolours and Wheeler's famous pen draft drawings.

The exhibition runs for two weeks.

El Salvador-inspired

Opening at the Brett McDowell gallery, Dowling St, this week is "Palomas, Plantas y Figuras" (Bird, plants and figures), an exhibition of works by Jose Nunez.

Nunez, who was born in 1945 in El Salvador, moved to California in 1996 and soon began making art at Creativity Explored's studio in San Francisco.

In "Palomas, Plantas y Figuras", Nunez's first show in New Zealand, the flora and fauna of his beloved El Salvador take centre stage.

The exhibition opens tomorrow and runs until April 8.

Arts exhibition in Cromwell

Easter is the time of the Cromwell Combined Society of Arts and Crafts annual exhibition.

Weavers, spinners, embroiderers, quilters, potters, wool-crafters, artists and mixed media exponents will display their talents alongside those of guest artists in the exhibition at the Cromwell Memorial Hall on Melmore Tce.

The exhibition opens on Thursday, April 1, at 7.45pm.

It then continues between 10am and 4pm until April 5.

Snap!

Entries are now open for the 2010 Otago Wildlife Photography competition.

Photograph a plant or animal, or an example of human impact on the natural environment, and enter by picking up an entry form from Otago Museum, NHNZ, or Jonathan's Photo Warehouse.

You can also download an entry form from www.otagomuseum.govt.nz

Readings at the Fortune

At the Fortune Studio on Saturday, Stage South presents "The Rothwell Incident", two play readings from Bruce Mason-award-winning playwright Paul Rothwell.

At 1pm is The Blackening, directed by Damian Bertanees, billed as a dark tale of a brother's return home, followed at 3pm by You Be The Angel I Be The Ghost, directed by Richard Huber.

This play is part self-portrait, part existential drama and part parody.

Prisoner gives back

The desire to give children the opportunities he did not have has motivated a prisoner serving a life sentence to donate a sculpture for auction by the Nano Nagle Charitable Trust.

"I want to help any way I can to stop any person growing up like I have.

I want to stop kids taking the same paths that I did," he saidThe sculpture, titled New Beginnings - New Life, is made of paua and bone and represents the beginning of life from infancy to adulthood.

The sculpture is to be auctioned online and all proceeds will go to the trust, which was formed by the Presentation Sisters and associates to help children unable to receive a Catholic education because of financial hardship.

The auction will run for a week from Monday.

For further information contact: Sr Noreen McGrath on (03) 417-4003.

Talk by visiting professor

Prof David L. Pike from American University, Washington DC, will talk about "The Underworlds of Modern Urban Culture" in association with the photographic exhibition "Wayne Barrar: An Expanding Subterra", at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

The lecture is today, from 12.15pm to 1.15pm, at the P152 Lecture Theatre, Otago Polytechnic School of Art.

All welcome.

Bach's Easter oratorio

The City of Dunedin Choir and the Southern Sinfonia, conducted by David Burchell, will present J. S. Bach's Easter story, St John Passion, on Sunday at 3pm in the Dunedin Town Hall.

This dramatic and powerful oratorio provides a focus for the celebration of Easter.

Tenor Paul McMahon, singing the role of the Evangelist, is highly regarded in Australia for his interpretation of baroque repertoire.

Lois Johnston (soprano), and Claire Barton (alto), are well known to Dunedin concertgoers, and three Christchurch singers will also contribute to this contemplative work: Oliver Sewell (tenor), Chris Bruerton (bass) and Howard Harvey singing the role of Christ.

Tickets from TicketDirect, phone (03) 477-8597 and door sales.

Singing poet to perform

Berlin-based Sandra Sarala, known there as a singing poet with a sideline in archaic east European folk song, will perform at Chick's Hotel in Port Chalmers on Saturday at 8.30pm. She will also be opening the mike to other performers during the evening.

Sarala (Sandra Dempster), who was born and raised in Halfway Bush, left New Zealand 13 years ago.

She returns to Berlin after Easter.

Collaborative show

Renaissance Gallery in Ravensbourne is host to a new collaborative show from pottery artists Bronwyn Mohring, Kathy Palenski and Phyllis Smith.

"Fine Feathers - clay and found objects" opens at 2pm on Saturday and runs until April 19.