Providing insights and anecdotes

One of Marti Friedlander’s photographs, Tūrangawaewae Marae Jubilee, 1971, part of an exhibition...
One of Marti Friedlander’s photographs, Tūrangawaewae Marae Jubilee, 1971, part of an exhibition at Starkwhite gallery. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
An independent art and cultural historian’s hosting a special event at Queenstown’s Starkwhite gallery on Saturday, discussing the work of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated photographers.

Auckland-based Dr Leonard Bell will share his insights and personal recollections of Marti Friedlander’s work alongside the gallery’s current show, ‘Starting Point of a Complicated Story’.

The British-Kiwi photographer’s work, from kuia with moko kauae, to street demonstrations, including the 1960 Auckland protest of the All Blacks tour of South Africa, and portraits of everyday and rural New Zealand life, is a reflection of the social and cultural evolution of post-war NZ.

Bell’s insights and anecdotes add to the visual story of Friedlander’s iconic images, which, he says, often probe beyond surfaces and visualise social and psychological conditions, ambivalences and ambiguities.

"You need to look closely not just at what she photographed, but also, and crucially, at how she pictured her subjects.

"Each photograph in this exhibition could be the starting point of a complicated story — as the best photographs are."

Bell’s talk, from 5pm, is the closing event for the Friedlander exhibition in Queenstown.

To RSVP, email kelly@starkwhite.co.nz

 

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