Art seen: Heads and tails

'Heads and Tails', by Sophie Laurs.

"Pahuretanga o wa (Passage of Time)", Jon Tootill, Milford Galleries, Dunedin.

All the eight large acrylic-on-linen paintings that make up Jon Tootill's "Pahuretanga o wa" follow the same format.

Despite the repetition of a fairly generic female face dominating each canvas, Tootill manages to convey a vast range of characters and historical experiences.

Perhaps this decision is intended to focus attention on the ways in which Maori and representation of Maori have been manipulated since colonial times.

Tootill only discovered his own Ngai Tahu heritage in adulthood and has been unable to fully trace his whakapapa or genealogy.

The graphic style of the works is visually striking and suggests the influence of pop art.

The works contain interesting art historical references.

Nga Tamatoa refers to a radical Maori protest group from the 1970s.

The background design in this painting is clearly based on Gordon Walters' controversial koru works.

During the 1980s, Walters was criticised for using the Maori koru form, sparking considerable debate about issues of appropriation and the control and ownership of images.

The female figure also bears another sign of radicalism, as she appears to be wearing a beret with a star, often associated with the legendary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

"Mid Right Left and Centre: Works from Six Whitireia Jewellers," Quadrant Gallery.

Each of the six jewellers included in Quadrant Gallery's new show has a well-developed distinctive style.

The majority of the students focused on presenting a selection of works built around a consistent theme.

The work of three of the jewellers particularly stood out.

Sophie Laurs' works drawing upon the history of collection of zoological specimens and hunting trophies are impressive.

In Heads and Tails, she has created a pair of rings, one featuring the customary snarling head of a predator mounted on a wood and brass panel, while its companion features the hind legs and tail of a creature mounted in the same manner.

Though Tails would perhaps be dangerous to wear, it is both a clever play on words and exposes the absurdity of the trophy tradition.

Her elegant Flattened Rings include delicate filigree forms that resemble butterfly wings.

One of Julia Middleton's brooches incorporates a real spider web made permanent and rendered black, covering a representation of a female figure in white.

Becky Bliss takes her inspiration from the world of science, producing jewels revealing molecular structures.

The contrasting of unexpected materials, for example lead crystal with wood in Side stack, adds to the allure of these pieces.

"Fabric," Temple Gallery.

The works in the current show at the Temple Gallery in some ways seem a little incongruous.

Some explanation of the reasons behind the selection of particular artists or works would add to the enjoyment of the show.

James Robinson's large collage on canvas Set Fire to Self Drown is, as the title suggests, a typically dark and disturbing work.

Robinson's macabre subject matter continues to fascinate.

The work is populated with the skulls, crosses and scores of stick figures generally associated with his work.

The canvas is punctuated with nails and stitches, adding to the sense of destruction and almost palpable pain.

Loss by Ruth Myers consists of a large pile of sculptural paper casts of household items, including bowls, vases, tins, frames and clocks.

Most are white, interspersed with a few black pieces and others that include colour copies of the original items.

The work encourages multiple interpretations. The sheer volume of individual pieces highlights the time spent painstakingly reproducing items originally of minimal value.

It is easy to see the work as a critique of materialism and the attendant endless quest for more.