let it be now

1 December 2008

Let it be now is the third exhibition in a series focusing on emerging artists at Christchurch Art Gallery. A synthesis of installation, painting, new media and assemblage, it presents six recently graduated artists who use art to generate encounters and to surprise in unique ways.

“These artists unravel conventions and show us new aspects of contemporary practice,” says exhibition curator Jennifer Hay. “They use a wide range of materials, from defunct televisions to everyday objects, to alter spaces and set up surprising encounters.”

Let it be now includes works as diverse as an interactive digital work that re-imagines the natural world, a scatter installation with colour generated by magnets and a mural painted on the car park bunker directly in front of the Gallery. All of the artists are making new works especially for the exhibition, which is generously supported by Coffey Projects.

Artists featured in the exhibition are Eddie Clemens (Olivia Spencer Bower Fellow for 2008 and recently announced as the University of Otago Frances Hodgkins Fellow for 2009), Justin Kerr and Stacey Turner (both Christchurch based), Kate Newby and Beth O’Brien (both Auckland based) and Kentaro Yamada (currently studying in Chicago).

“This is a fantastic opportunity to take an early look at some emerging young New Zealand artists who are poised on the brink of a career in the art world,” says Gallery Director Jenny Harper.

Let it be now will be at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu from 12 December 2008 until 8 March 2009.

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