Art seen

<i>Vineyard workers resting</i>, by Sir Frank Brangwyn.

Sir Frank Brangwyn was a notable and versatile figure in early 20th-century British art. A painter, ceramicist, designer, and illustrator, it is for his murals that he is best remembered, and his name ranks alongside the finest muralists of the era.

Among Brangwyn's large-scale works was a frieze for the Billiard Room of Horton House, in England's southern Midlands. The scenes of bucolic country life and Venetian peasantry were displayed high on the wall above Jacobean wooden panelling.

Four sections from this frieze are now on display in Dunedin. To show the works in as close to their original setting as possible, part of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery has been turned into an Edwardian billiard room, with four large frieze panels surrounding one side of the room. These dominate the gallery space and provide an excellent study of the artist's skills.

Also displayed are complementary pieces: Jacobean-era furniture, which would have matched the hall's panelling, and several preliminary sketches and other small works by Brangwyn. These allow us to not only admire the densely composed muscular realism of the finished panels, but also to grasp something of the artist's working technique. Together, they make for a fascinating glimpse at both an often overlooked master and the brass-and-wood opulence of Edwardian manorial life.

<i>Paua (Arapaki)</i>, by Robin Hill.

Koru Art is a gallery which often slips under the radar, yet in recent times it has been presenting some interesting exhibitions.

Such is the case with the current display of work by three weavers working in traditional Maori technique and design.

Much of the exhibition focuses on the work of Robin Hill, a Taieri Mouth weaver taught the art by Papakura's Whiri Aroha korowai weaving group.

She in turn has taught the skills to Robyn Ashton and Elaine Ross, both of whom have also presented work to round off the exhibition.

Hill's work has been heavily inspired by the natural features of the land, as is strongly indicated in the names she has given her pieces.

The contrasting miniature cloaks Hinemoana and Manuherikia, with colours and forms suggesting the rolling ocean and rugged hills respectively, are an indication of the artist's ability to use feather and weave to good effect in producing evocative art. So too are the full-sized equivalent works, such as the impressive pheasant-feather korowai Patama.

Ashton and Ross' works complement the bulk of the exhibition. Ross' small framed korowai and Ashton's delicately coloured miniature Kahupukeko in particular are attractive pieces.

The exhibition is capped with some friendly humorous Koro and nanny dolls by Hill.

<i>Untitled (Mollusca II),</i> by Suji Park.

Suji Park presents an intriguing selection of ceramic molluscs in her exhibition at the Brett McDowell Gallery. At first sight, the paired forms seem simple and unrefined, a series of vague organic shapes with little of apparent interest.

Initial appearances, however, are deceptive, and the more time that is spent with these pieces, the more innate charm they seem to possess.

The ceramics are in the form of friendly, bright, anthropomorphic slugs. There is an ambivalence to the shape, however, which provides the pieces with numerous other interpretations. They become sphinx-like, or like young cats folding their paws under their bodies, and their intricately painted forms are enough to sustain interest for a considerable time.

"Painted" is a clue as to what makes these ceramics seem slightly unusual. The works are not glazed, but fired then painstakingly painted in intense detail before being varnished. This technique, as well as the markings on the pieces, suggests several influences. The position of ceramics in east Asian art (where it is as highly valued as oil painting in Western art) is perhaps implied, and the artist's joint Korean/Western upbringing may be seen as an analogy of this combined technique. The painted patterns also suggest early 20th-century art styles such as Art Nouveau.