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Otago Daily Times

Art seen: July 3

"20th Anniversary Exhibition", group show (Gallery De Novo) Gallery De Novo has achieved the rare feat of a 20th anniversary, and congratulations are in order on the milestone. To celebrate, a special exhibition has been opened featuring new art by regular contributors to the gallery, alongside several less well-known names. In keeping with the gallery's now regular Christmas shows, in which artists are given a specific size of circular board on which to produce their work, the pieces in this display are also, for the most part, of identical dimensions. The square canvases feature a wealth of new art covering many subjects and styles. As such, it is difficult to review the exhibition as a whole, other than to say there are many excellent pieces on show. What is possible, however, is to single out numerous pieces and artists worthy of special mention. These include Hamish Allen's stylised albatross, a warm cafe interior by Jo St Baker and a magic-realist portrait by Jasmine Middlebrook. A gentler approach is taken by Mel McKenzie's deliberately soft-focus garden and meditative works by Eliza Glyn, Simon Kaan, and Greer Clayton. Eliot Coates goes further with his radiant colourfield abstractions, and Ana Teofilo adds a welcome Pasifika piece. Other notable items include Jason Low's vibrant image of the Taieri Plain and Dean Raynbould's tribute to the late Martin Phillipps. "Never and Before", Kathryn McCool (Olga) Kathryn McCool's photographs tread a borderline between photojournalism and a highly personal journey through time and place. The works on display come from two sources: unpublished images, mainly from around the South, and photographs from around the Manawatu taken for and published in the artist's book P. North . These two sources make up the "never seen" and "seen before" of the exhibition's title. The images, precisely taken in terms of capturing the moment and in terms of their clarity, display the artist's methodical and measured approach to her subjects. The photographs are presented in stark yet warm monochrome, and reveal a psychogeography of the land, with deceptively simple images giving hints to the history and memory traces behind the faces, buildings, and trees. The scenes seem to come from outside time. There is little to tell whether the images are from 2025 or 1955, the ghosts of past and present mix together in the depictions. The works take the photoreportage style of Friedlander or Ussher and add a gentle frisson that suggests that there are stories behind the images. While the depths are not dark or gothic enough to suggest that Palmerston North is an antipodean Twin Peaks, the artist has grasped some sense of unease lurking within the ostensibly bucolic in these intriguing images. "Made in Dunedin", Chris Weaver (Brett McDowell Gallery) Chris Weaver is one of New Zealand's most recognised and accomplished potters. The West Coast-based artist has recently been artist in residence at his old alma mater, Otago Polytechnic. During his time in Dunedin, he has been busy creating his distinctive angular yet functional ceramics, many of which are on display at Brett McDowell Gallery. Weaver's small teapots and jugs have simple, practical forms, but are imbued with several trademark features for which the artist has become well-known. The irregular polygonal shapes of his creations are often emphasised by sheer cut lines and the addition of angular wooden handles. While this may make the works sound austere, this could not be further from the truth. There is a cheeky friendliness to the shapes which almost gives them the feel of perched fantails and wax-eyes, watching and ready to fly off at any moment. The glazes used are a further softening feature of the works. Many of the pieces on display are either salt-glazed, leaving that medium's distinct pattern of speckles and bare lines under a deep, rich skin. Other pieces are worked with a celadon glaze, giving them a soft translucent green shade over a strong grey base. This ancient Chinese glaze is used to good effect, giving the pieces a cool, calming quality. By James Dignan