Art seen: Russian art

James Dignan takes a look at the latest exhibitions around Dunedin.

"Russian Art in New Zealand" (Dunedin Public Art Gallery)

The Dunedin Public Art Gallery is presenting two connected exhibitions of art from Russia.

In the larger display, art from private collections has been brought together to produce a large overview of Russian art history.

This is a rare opportunity to see such a collection in one place.

The gallery's main upper corridor showcases Soviet-era prints, providing both a window on their time and a fine cross-section of the themes and styles of Soviet art.

The work is heavily stylised, yet often surprisingly soft, personal and subtle, especially in works like those by Podliasky and Matyukh.

More stereotypical subjects glorifying industry and struggle are also present in pieces such as that of A. V. Kovalev.

Russian avant-garde and modern art is also well-represented.

The country was a leader in early-20th-century art, with names like Kandinsky and Chagall at the forefront.

Both are represented here, as is sculptor Alexander Archipenko, but a major highlight is several works by the less well known but equally important Natalia Goncharova.

Much of the recent art on display harks back to this earlier era; notable here are the muted character studies by Liudmila Varlamova.

The exhibition saves its best until last, with an impressive collection of religious icons.

The Russian Church is justifiably renowned for its art, and this display shows why this is so.

"Me", Shane Hansen (De Novo Gallery)

Shane Hansen has gone on a voyage of personal discovery in his exhibition at De Novo.

Exploring the Maori and European sides of his heritage, and simultaneously his background in graphic design, Hansen has produced a series of rhythmic screen prints and paintings.

These draw influence from such diverse sources as Dick Frizzell and Reuben Paterson.

The works are bold and bright, occasionally sparingly incorporating areas of glitter.

Many of the pieces use the traditional Maori colours of black, white, and red (occasionally augmented by blue or green) with the solid areas of colour producing a stencilled effect which allows the board underneath to show through.

This base, surprisingly, is ordinary plywood, yet this has been deliberately chosen for its strong grain and texture, and the result is effective.

Many of the works make good use of the form of the letters and words incorporated in the designs.

These forms are echoed by strong graphic elements, creating intricate backgrounds that Hansen in one instance likens to the patterns of printed circuit boards.

Other works use leaf or smoke-like swirled patterns, producing a sense of flow within pieces such as the beautiful Kokako.

"Tuhourangi revival", Peata Larkin (Milford Galleries)

Peata Larkin has revisited some of her earlier ideas with "Tuhourangi Revival".

Gone are the lightboxes used to create illuminated canvases in her last exhibition.

In their place are more straightforward works which for all that are nonetheless impressive.

Larkin works by injecting paint through coarse distorted mesh.

Rather than the canvas' weave simply providing a ground for the painting, the distressed mesh becomes an integral part of the art.

The lines and flow of thread produce an illusion of movement and of three-dimensionality.

Many of the circular works seem to bulge from the canvas like planets.

Larkin's heritage and interest in Maori art is clearly evident.

Tukutuku patterns lie at the heart of many of the panels, notably in four Poutama-inspired works.

The ascending stepped pattern represents personal growth and acquired knowledge, and in this instance that growth involves reconnection with the artist's ancestral lands southeast of Rotorua.

In works such as Tuhourangi Portrait, reference is made by the use of pink and white to the lost terraces beneath Tarawera.

In other works, the pixel-like patterns of paint, and ripples of mesh produce the impressionistic feel of water rippling on the surface of the region's numerous lakes.