Blue Oyster's Dowling St art space has opened its back gallery with an exhibition by Francis van Hout. The work consists of an array of square paintings on paper, each displaying a fragmentary image from a Delft tile.
The display works well on several levels. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the rich blues and toned whites of the original pottery stand out effectively, and the designs are rendered with the same immaculate soft-focus poignancy as the ceramics on which they are based.
On an allegorical level, there is more at play here. The depictions of traditional Dutch scenes stir feelings of distance in time and space, and a sense of loss in both these dimensions as well, through nostalgia and homesickness. There is a sense of the history of European colonisation and of the loss of historic craftsmanship, as well as the more prosaic sense of the artist's work space, and creativity, dominated by fragmentary images requiring resolution.
Van Hout's own ancestry is also indirectly touched upon in this migration of creation from the Netherlands to New Zealand. Whereas his perhaps better-known sibling Ronnie seeks inspiration internally by presenting himself in his art, Francis effectively taps familial histories to create a satisfying and more readily accessible display.
Scott Drummond presents a series of gentle watercolour impressions of the South in his second exhibition at Green Island Gallery.
The subjects of Drummond's works may seem simple or even offhand, yet the way the artist has captured them leaves a fine impression. In images of a stretch of open road, or an oceanside sports ground, he has allowed the lines of the land to dictate the images, and has shown a deft skill at employing his medium to create satisfying results. Aerial perspective and soft sea mist are nicely captured, as is the delicate southern light in which the land sits.
The works are fine studies, and reflect the artist's obvious love of the land and the inspiration he finds in it. In the unforgiving medium of watercolour, occasionally embellished and defined by lines of ink, he has created a series of crisp works which capture the land and the settlements upon it. In several of the works, this hard-edged style is combined with softer washes of dilute paint, either to depict reflections, as in the nostalgic Morning on the river, or to create a darker mood. This combination also allows for more impressionistic images, such as Harbour yacht.
''The Caravaggio Gang'' is a group of local artists attracted to the spirit, if not necessarily the artistic style, of one of the ''bad boys'' of Renaissance art. In their group shows, the latest of which is under way at Mint Gallery, they show their ability, while throwing in some - though perhaps not much - of the artist's rebelliousness.
Rebels or not, the work on display is by and large impressive. The styles and abilities of the eight artists are well presented within the exhibition setting. Philip James Frost is perhaps the best known of these artists, and his modern take on art informel is ably matched by his contemporary Craig Freeborn, who has provided one of the show's more impressive works, the Baconian Kiss of peace. Jay Hutchinson also explores similar territory, though with a more clear-cut pop art sensibility.
Danny Brisbane's two large-scale portraits are impressive, as is a multimedia portrait by Flynn Morris-Clarke. James Bellaney's two large gestural abstracts are not out of place here, and neither are Daniel Roberts' conceptual chair installations.
For this reviewer, however, Peter McLaren's two quiet monotypes are the show's standout pieces. These subtle images have something of the air of the alien terrains of Yves Tanguy's art, and add a unsettling yet calming air to the gallery.
- James Dignan
