Everyone left Auckland over the holidays, except for a happy few who enjoyed our city without traffic.
The exodus from city to country provides the provinces with a booming economy, especially in these days of closed borders.
At a time when galleries in major centres are closed for summer, the regional galleries see a huge influx of visitors. Local artist Evan Woodruffe has held a summer exhibition spot at PAULNACHE, Gisborne-based but internationally renowned art gallery, since 2014. In their January show, PAULNACHE included Woodruffe alongside John Walsh (Ngati Porou), and Virginia Leonard, whose wild ceramics Evan introduced to Director Matthew Nache back
in 2015.
Their audience was a noisy and enthusiastic jumble from around the country, mingling with local art aficionados to take in the paintings and sculptures while sampling local wines and beer. The atmosphere was relaxed and joyful – everyone was on holiday and knew they were seeing some high-hitting artwork.
All three artists have shown with PAULNACHE across Australasia, and their enthusiasm for creating works for the gallery’s home base is evident in the large works displayed.
Immediately inside the door is Evan’s huge 1.85m x 2.8m painting, made up from thousands of tiny marks and bold gestures, while in the second exhibition space Virginia’s stacked ceramic sculpture towers over 2 meters high, glinting with gold and glossy textures.
It’s a warm welcome in Gisborne. After the opening, John and Evan (Virginia remained in Auckland) decamped with a large chunk of the crowd to Siduri Wine Bar, run by Sam Millton (of Millton Wines) who offers an incredible array of wines, vintage champagne, aperitifs and old fashioned cocktails. The merriment continued well into the night. Evan received several invitations from collectors to drop by for tea in the days following so experienced some of the picturesque locations and bountiful gardens of the area. Art really does bring the people together.
If you’re travelling around the country this year, make sure to see the regional galleries – there’s exciting work to be seen outside the urban centres.
(EVAN WOODRUFFE/STUDIO ART SUPPLIES)
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