25 June 2007

Alive and well.

"Painting is dead" they cried, as Elam rebranded all multi-media, as auction houses had shows of photography exhibitions, and as scores of new collectors rushed out to buy anything that hadn't been tarnished with a brush. Turns out, though, that painting was only sleeping, as a bunch of good painting shows have demonstrated.

Adam's Four Times Painting heralds the start of a mighty comeback - I was particularly taken with Simon Ingram's lego painting machines.

Pataka sits on the fence a bit more, despite their recent really good Japanese painting show, with New Painting: Digital Age. Less curated statement than collection of dealer shows, it still makes for a nice wander - Tim Thatcher and Andrew McLeod's particularly.

Mahara out in Waikanae Shopping Mall recently showcased the Real Art Roadshow - a rapidly developed yet fascinating collection of paintings that will be touring schools in the back of a truck - taking Tony de Lautour's drug imagery to the nation's 9-year-olds. It's a pretty bold investment in painting - privately funded no less.

In the dealer realm, Peter McLeavey's current show by John Reynolds is a stunner - as Peter himself stated one of the top 12 shows he's ever hosted. Pretty high praise indeed.

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