Junk to Funk Art Awards 2008
19th July-17th August 2008
Opening & Artist's Talk Saturday 19th July 1.30pm

The Junk to Funk Art Awards is a uniquely Ashburton Art Awards that encourages artists nation wide to submit works which focus on the use of or discuss issues associated with recycled materials. Jasmin Lamorie's "All the Trimmings" uses the detritus of body beautiful to construct a new and sensual soft furnishing for the modern home. This work is made of human hair collected from local hairdressers. It has been sorted by colour and length then attached to fabric (from the recycling centre) using shade-cloth to provide a sturdy backing. The work draws parallels between land and body, hair and forest. It reflects the similarities in the way contemporary society assigns value to both land and body; depending on how well trimmed it is. We control and tidy our bodies and the land; we keep them in order, for beauty and for economics.

Jane Venis
Freakquent Viewing
19th July-17th August 2008

Jane Venis's exhibition Freakquent Viewing is an interactive installation which invites audience members to take part. Freakquent Viewing invokes a fairground or circus - carnival booths conceal television screens with content with critiques the contemporary phenomenon of reality TV shows. Venis's fairground organ or "Snurglaphone" has been constructed from parts of vintage cars. Shiny copper horns sprout from its top and sides, emitting music and strange sounds. A control panel presents the viewer with a number of buttons which when pushed change the sounds produced, from elephants trumpeting and horses galloping to a selection of musical works composed by and played by Venis and other band members on her own constructed instruments.

Niki Hastings-McFall
Polysynthesis
23rd August-28th September 2008
Opening & Artist's Talk Saturday 23rd August 1.30pm

"I am a Pakeha-Samoan or Afakasai (Samoan transliteration of 'half-caste'). I was born here in Aotearoa and raised by my mother's parents (the pakeha or palagi side) who were to all intents my mum and dad. I didn't meet my Samoan family until I was over 30. Through my work I investigate the similarities and differences between the two cultures that constitute my make-up.On my last trip to Samoa whilst travelling through Upolu and especially Savai'i I frequently noted fales (homes without walls) that were clear of furnishings, save for maybe a wooden pillow or (in one case) a TV on a beer crate, the fales were clear of clutter or any Western notion of furniture. Another interesting thing that caught my eye was the 'mile-a-minute' creeper that wound and twisted its way through the forest, smothering, covering and colonising the trees." Niki Hastings-McFall (With thanks to Milford Galleries).

Margaret Digby
Town Watch
23rd August-28th September 2008
Opening & Artist's Talk Saturday 23rd August 1.30pm

Margaret Digby has completed the series of paintings Town Watch-a contemporary look at the Ashburton township over the past two years. From her East Street studio Digby has surveyed the roof tops. Some of the works focus on careful observation while others appear vibrant, loose and fragmented into jagged glimpses of her urban landscape. Digby's work is both challenging and experimental as she casts her eye over the township and delivers a series of works which move between figurative and abstract depictions. One senses a tension here between the historical and the contemporary both physically and conceptually. Works featuring the Ashburton Railway Station and Somerset accentuate this concern.

MUKA
Young People Buy Art - No Adults Allowed
Wednesday 17th September 2008

A display of original contemporary art exclusively for young people aged 5-18. This event gives young people the opportunity to purchase original lithographs for a fraction of the normal price. It is the intention of the artists that the works will become the exclusive property of the purchaser. A number of well-known artists from all over the world have been invited to produce small original lithographs. The works reflect the normal concerns of the artists; there is no patronising or "talking down" to children. Visitors to the show can buy a maximum of three lithographs for themselves, not for adults. All works are sold at a uniform low price to enable accessibility to their intended audience - children.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm
Wednesdays 10am-7pm
Saturday & Sunday 1pm-4pm
Closed Mondays and Public Holidays

Ashburton Art Gallery
Baring Square East
PO Box 573
Ashburton

Ph/Fax: 03 308 1133
Mobile: 021 105 2230
Email: info@ashburtonartgallery.org.nz
Web: www.ashburtonartgallery.org.nz

Admission Free
(Donation/koha appreciated)

Kathryn Mitchell Manager/Curator
Alison Curwood PA/Exhibitions Assistant
Martin McCully Technician/Marketing Distribution