Art seen: September 10

The Wave (after Hokusai) II, by Hamish Horsley

(Gallery Fe29)

HAMISH HORSLEY has made an international reputation for large-scale public and private sculptures, many of which dot the landscape of various countries around the world. At Gallery Fe29, the sculptor presents a series of smaller works, many of which (as the exhibition’s title suggests) are miniatures or models of his large outdoor pieces.

Horsley employs a personal language within these works, using natural structure and rhythm to create totem-like forms. Working predominantly in bronze, the sculptures have both a solidity and a fluidity about them, reflecting the natural flow of the organic forms on which they are based. Standout pieces include the almost Art Deco Avatar and the heavily patined Nava.

Surrounding the sculptures, the artist has presented another side to his practice, with a series of works on paper in gouache and graphite. These pieces continue the artistic theme of flowing natural elements, becoming warm, lyrical semi-abstract forms, which are built up slowly from small pointillistic marks. There are faint echoes of artistic influences ranging from Van Gogh to Robert and Sonia Delaunay in several of these pieces.

The exhibition is rounded off with a small display of several of the clay "sketches" which the artist uses as the basis for his sculptures. This gives a fascinating glimpse at the though processes behind the finished works.

Untitled (Port Buildings), by John Francis

"Adjust Or Perish", John Francis

(Pea Sea Art)

JOHN FRANCIS has been associated with the Dunedin art scene for many years, but it is some time since he has had an exhibition of his paintings. The current exhibition, ostensibly at Pea Sea Art but overflowing into the studio of Port Chalmers artist James Robinson, more than makes up for lost time; there are close to 30 works on display at Pea Sea Art, and a hundred metres down the road, Robinson’s studio is "gallery hung" from floor to ceiling with dozens more.

The exhibition is in two parts in more ways than one; not only are there works at two sites, but the works at Pea Sea Art will be on display for a short time before taking a few days off for the gallery to hold an auction, then returning after the auction is concluded.

The actual nature of the works also forms two neat halves — landscapes and portraits. The latter are largely reworkings of paintings by the old masters. These reinterpretations are enjoyable and often wryly humorous, with Francis’ wild, almost Fauvist brushwork making up in expression and emotion for what they lack in the original art’s academic finesse. The remaining works are strong, gestural landscapes and townscapes, effectively capturing the essence of the South in broad, bold strokes of the brush.

The Virgin and Child Compared, by Colin McCahon

"Colin McCahon: A Constant Flow of Light"

(Hocken Collections)

TIMED to coincide with the centenary of his birth, "Colin McCahon: A Constant Flow of Light" is the Hocken’s retrospective of the artist’s career.

The main gallery chronologically covers McCahon’s early career in the 1930s through to his major flowering in the 1950s. Visitors can follow the development of style from early abstraction through to the introduction of major themes such as religious allegory and the New Zealand landscape. From the mid 1950s on, we see further growth, with emphasis on text and stylistic experimentation. Through this artistic timeline, we see McCahon’s growth and also his influence on later artists ranging from Jeffrey Harris to Robin White. As always with the Hocken, the display is accompanied by working sketches, letters, and other related ephemera which fill in details and background to the artist’s work.

The two side galleries present major collaborations. The first of these mingles and merges the styles of McCahon and Ralph Hotere in a way that was to have profound resonances in both artists’ later work. However, it is the second side gallery which is a revelation. Here, we see an extended series of paintings created to accompany John Caselberg’s elegy to a beloved dead pet. The large-scale Rothkoesque hangings turn the room into a veritable shrine, surrounding and almost overpowering the viewer.

James Dignan