"60 years 60 pots" is a major retrospective of the work of one of New Zealand's premier potters, Mirek Smisek.
Smisek, born in Czechoslovakia in 1925, grew up in a continent in turmoil, enduring various hardships before emigrating in 1948. He arrived in Nelson 60 years ago, beginning a prolific life in the heart of the New Zealand pottery scene.
Smisek's ceramics, which range from small drinking vessels to large urn-like vases, are the product of influences ranging from the traditions of his native land to Japanese culture.
His surface designs reflect natural forms, and are largely informed by the artist's places of work in Nelson and, later, Kapiti. Smisek's mastery of the use of chemical salt glazes has enabled him to bring these designs out to maximum effect, imbuing his work with glistening life. When needed, he has reduced the exuberance of the patterning, allowing for delicate, subtle works such as the beautiful "Waterweed" plate.
The exhibition makes no claim to be exhaustive or representative, with much of the selection - as curator Gary Freemantle says "... not guided by a fixed idea or credo [but] chosen instinctively." The result is a fascinating overview of Smisek's work and - as always with Otago Museum - is excellently annotated and displayed.
The Artist's Room's annual "Seven artists" show is on again and, as with every year, the number of artists has been clearly exceeded, this time allowing for work from nine sources.
The gallery is filled with works, many of them by artists already well known to gallery regulars.
These include some joyful humorous grotesques by Helen Back and Nico Madill's impressively busy Brueghelesque mixed-media collages.
Hannah Joynt's art is also familiar from an exhibition at the Temple last year, and she presents a series of works depicting adventure, individualism and the search for self.
Josh Kronfeld continues to impress with his sketchwork, composition playing a major role in his attractive character studies.
Sam Sharpe raids low art for his bright, humorous, pointed paintings lampooning popular culture.
Nearby hang some intriguing works in a range of styles by Ruth Stanton-McLeod.
These include small, sombre monoprints and mixed media work, as well as much larger and more exuberant screen prints.
The exhibition reaches a peak with a series of magically soft studies of communication in charcoal and conte by Tessa Barringer, a series of attractive bronze miniatures by Melissa Young, and some impressive sky and sea panoramas in oil on metal by Bryan L'Estrange.
[imag3]"Dickensian Dunedin", Pauline Bellamy (Bellamys Gallery)
Pauline Bellamy is displaying a fine series of images of historic Dunedin structures at Bellamy's Gallery in Macandrew Bay.
The dozen images, which cover several media, all effectively display the artist's ability while simultaneously providing beautiful images of a slowly vanishing cityscape.
Bellamy is perhaps best known for her dry-point etchings, five of which are among the dozen works on display.
These works each concentrate on a single structure, and the medium is perfect for the depiction of old buildings.
The soft brownish blacks of the images give them something of the air of early photographs, and also allow the works to simultaneously feel formal yet warm.
This air of faded grandeur is even more pronounced in the one combined etching and silkscreen work.
The remaining works show the other side of Bellamy's art, with one gentle gouache image and a series of vibrant acrylic works.
Many of these concentrate not on an individual building, but rather on a streetscape or dim back alleyway.
The strong colours and use of light and shade build up a picture of a Dunedin behind the scenes, its less-travelled byways and passages painted with the slight frisson of venturing into the unknown.
