taking stock

“taking stock”

Trish Clark Gallery is pleased to present the annual “taking stock” – a group show of seasonal celebration, opening to the public on 13 December. Rich and full, “taking stock” brings together artists whose work across painting, sculpture, photography and moving image is highly diverse yet resonant with unexpected relationships. “taking stock’” is not just a summer stock show, but reminds us at this juncture that “it’s time for a cup of tea and a lie down” (to paraphrase the immortal words of an earlier New Zealand Prime Minister, David Lange), to collect ourselves and take stock, thinking about our lives, our relationships, our politics, our place in the world…

Works fresh from the studio sit alongside treasures of extended lineage, including Heather Straka’s new suite, Street Parade, and the elemental qualities of Stephen Bambury. The broad material palette of the exhibition also embraces glass by Galia Amsel and new stone pieces by John Edgar. Anthony McCall’s sinuous line drawings make an appearance alongside his seminal 1972 film, Landscape for Fire. The fire theme extends from the conceptual and material basis of Phil Dadson’s March Music, the third iteration in Dadson’s long-durational performance piece to be undertaken during sequential months over a 12-year span.

Preceding the opening of “taking stock” by one week, Phil Dadson undertakes a six-hour performance on 6 December centred on March Music, a not-to-be-missed opportunity to appreciate a seminal figure in New Zealand’s art history in the dynamic flesh.