I went to the new Dowse with my family the other day, a gallery in Lower Hutt with a fine selection of modern New Zealand Art.
However, its very location across from the vast architectural turd of Westfield Mall is perhaps its finest work. Well it would be a potent statement on the vacuity of modern life, were it not for the fact that the Dowse was there long before the mall, so instead of sensing artistic defiance one feels a faint sense of tragedy.
I have lived in 'the Hutt' for 5 years and although pretty happy with life here, if it were not for nearby Wellington the 'Arts Capital of New Zealand' it's fair to say i might be slightly embarrassed by the lack of restaurants, nightlife, daylife, and culture.
The Dowse though is great.
One work by an artist with learning difficulties whose name i have forgotten or perhaps never read, was a painting of a man standing on a donkey flying a kite. The painting's caption said something about needing to stand on the donkey to ensure the kite could catch the wind higher up.
It struck me as a wonderful metaphor. It has inspired me to create this blog.
Mostly the blog is about the donkey. Occasionally the blog attempts to be the kite dancing in the sky. I will always be the man donkey-surfing, arms flailing, arse out.
2 comments:
As an art historian & highly, highly valued pal I'm ashamed to admit that after hours of trawling the archive I can not identify this artwork which had such an impact on you - I would like to see it. But I think I have an idea - donkey, kite, man.
Keep the blog going Ben, enjoyed reading through these posts.
Strange, the word verification below is P O N Y.
It was part of a collection produced by a a community art programme for people with learning disabilities.
Good man.
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