Art seen: June 4

Hinaki II, by Mandy Gargiulo. PHOTO: GLENN FREI, C/O MILFORD GALLERIES

“Objects”, group show

(Milford Galleries, Queenstown)

At Queenstown’s Milford Galleries, “Objects” puts the spotlight on glass and ceramic art, bringing together sculptural works by 11 artists, in a vast variety of styles.

Aaron Scythe’s Yobitsugi Style Vases are always fascinating, an ode to the Japanese practice of yobitsugi, a subset of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired with lines of metallic lacquer, the “scars” enhancing rather than detracting from the artwork. Yobitsugi combines fragments from different objects, creating a patchwork effect of styles, materials, and eras. It’s sculptural storytelling, with a seemingly infinite number of details in each piece.

Nearby, Katherine Smyth’s plant-inspired, hand-built earthenware jugs are delightful. Smyth blends a high level of technical skill with a sense of fun in works like Pink Strawberry Juglet, where the neck of the jug begins fairly sedately before flaring into a strawberry shape, flecked and dimpled with the illusion of seeds.

Mandy Gargiulo’s porcelain works are inspired by marine life, intricately crafted to appear as if they’ve just been plucked from the sea, the surfaces porous and deceptively sponge-like. The judicious use of gold leaf captures the light, adding to the sense of movement and natural grandeur, like relics from an underwater palace.

Conversely, Phil Brooks’ vessels reflect man-made grandeur, with nods to architectural structures, the hand-coiled vase Psst appearing like a narrow window in a sandstone building, cracked open for hushed conversation and the passing of secrets.

Shaft of Light, by Richard Adams. PHOTO: GALLERY THIRTY THREE

“There’s No Place Like Home”, Ben Reid; “These Quiet Places”, Kyla Cresswell; and “Weathered Light”, Richard Adams

(Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka)

Opening tomorrow at Wanaka’s Gallery Thirty Three, three new exhibitions by Ben Reid, Kyla Cresswell, and Richard Adams collectively delve into the world we live in, the species that inhabit it, and the interconnected and fragile bonds between us all.

In “There’s No Place Like Home”, Ben Reid’s intricate woodcut and drypoint prints weave an emotionally powerful narrative about extinct native species like the huia and Lyall’s wren, and the devastating impact of introduced predators and the voracious hunting of native birds as trophies. Reid’s work is always rich in detail, drawn with a sensitive hand, and hits hard. The imagery is — and should be — haunting.

Kyla Cresswell’s “These Quiet Places” explores easily forgotten but valuable parts of the land — corners of the wetlands, salt marshes, a patch of glasswort, sights and scenes that aren’t commonly featured in art, but which are ecologically rich, visually interesting, and places where many people find peace and solace. Cresswell’s detailed, loving drypoint and silverpoint drawings of often overlooked plant life are a reminder that there are treasures to be found everywhere we look, a very widely connected ecosystem that should be treated with respect.

Rounding out a trio of exhibitions where each show enriches the others, Richard Adams’ gorgeous “Weathered Light” collection continues his exploration into light, shadow, and the strata of the landscape, deconstructing the land into layers and geometric angles, and blending the tones of sky and sea into a strikingly atmospheric series.

Fragments of a Foraged Shore, by Jasmine Clark. PHOTO: L ELLIOTT

“Black – White – Inbetween”, group show

(Lakes District Museum & Gallery, Arrowtown)

At Arrowtown’s Lakes District Museum and Gallery, seven artists have come together for “Black – White – Inbetween”, exploring the dramatic and poignant contrasts in black-and-white works, and the shifting moods of the shades in between.

Amongst the many works on display, Dalene Meiring presents golden-tinged landscapes in Autumn Winds and The Way, where the blending of pigments creates the most beautiful effect of ethereal, diffused light.

Nearby, Pierre Aubert’s majestic gold-leaf-frosted mountains shine under the lights, the peaks and planes seeming to glitter from within, and Emma Carter’s abstracted, mixed-media canvases draw viewers in to study every hidden detail.

A hundred miniature ceramic cows flock across the walls in Esperance Steven’s wonderful O Ma Kau, and Kay Turner’s Winter Brooch perfectly captures the gleam of ice and moonlight.

Jasmine Clark’s Fragments of a Foraged Shore evokes the changing sights, scents, and rhythms of the coastline, using ceramics, woven rattan, bone, and driftwood to create a series of artefacts. Arranged like the findings of an archeological dig, linking the past and present, each piece is reminiscent of a tool, fossil, or treasure, mapping our relationship with the ever-constant tide and the ever-changing shore.

Photographer Eric Schusser’s Dazwischen In Between is a beautiful tribute to his late wife and fellow photographer Annemarie Hope-Cross, with the series of black-and-white floral images tracing the stages of life and loss, the fragility and ephemeral state of all living things, and the profound beauty and impact they can have long after they’re gone.