SCAPE Public Art has delivered its biggest lineup ever.
Get ready to be surprised by artworks inspired by the theme Rock : Paper : Scissors – everything from sculpture and photography to audio installations and stunning neon lights. The six-week season starts on October 5, 2019.
KA MUA KA MURI, 2019 – KAZU NAKAGAWA
Tokyo-born sculptor Kazu Nakagawa – who calls Waiheke Island home – will wow when one of his works takes up residence in Market Square at the Arts Centre. Ka Mua Ka Muri links Mother Nature’s architecture to art. Nakagawa’s practice is informed by his philosophical beliefs.
THE POOL, 2018-2019 – NATALIE GUY
Kiwi Natalie Guy’s diving board installation, which is heading for the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Hereford Street, is sure to stop passers-by in their tracks. Stripped of its core business as a launching pad, Guy says the diving board “becomes a surreal, redundant and inaccessible object”.
MADE IN CHINA, 2010 – SUI JIANGUO
This year’s Celebrated International Artist is sure to stun with his eye-catching, large-scale installation. Sui Jianguo’s Made in China series forces people to think about China’s role as a production giant and economic leader. Absorb the work in all its glory on the corner of Worcester Boulevard and Oxford Terrace.
HYBRID ENCOUNTERS, 2019 – CHIARA CORBELLETTO
Italian-Kiwi artist Chiara Corbelleto’s works will be suspended inside the conservatories at the Botanic Gardens. The project details how complexity can arise from simplicity, and how small modifications can lead to evolutionary adaptations.
UNCHAINED MELODY, 2018 – CONOR CLARKE
Observational photographer Conor Clarke is set to have her work Unchained Melody shown inside CoCA. Her photos delve into the ruptures that form between European Romantic fantasies of nature and the often confronting realities.
THE ORDER OF THINGS, 2019 – NEIL PARDINGTON
Mammoth billboards are going up in Hagley Park and outside Canterbury Museum, showing blown-up images from Pardington’s The Order of Things exhibition. The show pulled inspiration from museum wet rooms and examined the raw beauty of specimens squished into jars for preservation purposes.
VAKA ‘A HINA, 2019 – SĒMISI FETOKAI POTAUAINE
Auckland-based artist Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine is having his captivating sculpture installed in Rauora Park. The towering piece of art was inspired by the legend of Polynesian goddess Hina and her many voyages to the moon. The sculpture has been two years in the making and promises to transport you to another world.
JUST NINE SHORT WORDS MAKE UP ONE LONG LINE, TRULY RURAL, DON’T LET IT GET YOU, ALWAYS AND CLOSER, 2009 – MARY-LOUISE BROWNE
These captivating neon installations will have you torn between posting them straight to the ‘gram and wanting to stand in front of them for hours. Keep an eye out for her pieces around The Crossing.
PRINCESS XL (FOUNTAIN #1 and #2), 2015 – SCOTT EADY
With an assortment of sculptures permanently housed around New Zealand, Kiwi sculptor Scott Eady is no stranger to eye-catching and thought-provoking pieces. Marvel at Princess XL (fountain #1 and #2) from both of its locations. You’ll find the sculptures at the Arts Centre and outside the Art Gallery.
MODULATING MONOLITH, 2019 – TYLER JACKSON
Christchurch Casino is getting a burst of colour thanks to emerging Kiwi sculptor Tyler Jackson. Jackson’s work ventures deep into the intrinsic relationship between industrial minimalist materiality and the immateriality of colour and light. He says the enlightening work can be used to “arrive at countless optical illusions”.
SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE, 2019 – CIARAN BEGLEY
Amateur physicist and sculptor Ciaran Begley brings together conceptual art and engineering in his works, which commonly invite enjoyable public participation. A viewing point at the corner of High and Cashel streets will allow people to move his sculpture with a hand crank.
FLOW MY TEARS, 2010 – SUSAN PHILIPSZ
If you’re not careful, Susan Philipsz’s Flow My Tears will catch you off guard. The haunting single-channel audio work is designed to get inside the body of passers-by. A PA system at the James Hay Bridge in Victoria Square will enchant those nearby with Philipsz’s vocals 8am – 8pm throughout the season.
A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY OF AOTEAROA, 2017 – KEREAMA TAEPA
Christ’s College is set to be the new home of Kereama Taepa’s thought-provoking and interactive 2017 sculpture. The work shows a Māori meeting house (wharenui), a mitre, a crown and a beehive – slyly modelled on space invaders – sitting upon four plinths. The wharenui acts as our protector.