A Dunedin Public Art Gallery favourite spoke to the realities of 1970s New Zealand, writes Lauren Gutsell.
Alvin Pankhurst's painting Maybe Tomorrow (1974), part of his "Creeper'' series from the 1970s, reflects a period of great social change that New Zealand experienced in 1974.
The previous year saw Britain enter the European Economic Community, which restricted access for New Zealand's farm products to the United Kingdom.
New Zealand, and other British colonies, were motivated to foster their own independent identity.
Maybe Tomorrow was also inspired by urban renewal in New Zealand, linked with the population growth in the main centres.
The 1970s saw the rebuilding of large areas of Auckland and Wellington, which was home to the artist at this time.
Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including houses, shops, and offices, were demolished and replaced with large modernist high-rise buildings.
This destruction saw the artist collecting decorative objects and ornate fireplaces from demolition sites, such as the one that can be seen in this painting.
While the composition is filled with recognisable furniture, objects and decorative wallpaper, typical of a Victorian room, the work hovers in a space between the real and the surreal with a distorted and shadowed perspective.
The foreboding and feared dystopian society is reflected in the chaotic placement of objects and the ominous creeping roots that are taking over the interior.
Maybe Tomorrow was entered into the prestigious Benson and Hedges Art Award in 1974, ultimately winning the top prize.
International judge James W. Foster commented on many of the work's award-winning elements including its detailed composition, its compelling sense of time and place, and Pankhurst's immaculate technique.
The work was promptly bought by the Dunedin Public Art Gallery for $5000, a record price for a New Zealand painting at that time.
Maybe Tomorrow remains an audience favourite within the Dunedin Public Art Gallery's collection and can be seen on display at the gallery as part of the present exhibition "Belonging''.
