2009 Wrap - 2010 Programme - Merry Xmas!

Oh what a year.  Thank you to everyone who has supported {Suite} this year.  We've really enjoyed meeting many new people and consolidating friendships and relationships with existing friends and contacts of the gallery.  The range of artwork we have exhibited this year was extreme, from Richard Reddaway's Unresolved Music to Robert Cherry's Whittling Retreat and Desiree Dolron's chic Xterior series works. Here are a few highlights of 2009. 

Hosted by Chris Knox and filmed for TVNZ's New Artland, Wayne Youle's Where You Stay? project saw 100 people receive tattoos on 9 March at {Suite}.  We received a late invitation to attend the Auckland Art Fair in May and presented works by Desiree Dolron, James Aldridge, Frits Klein, Neil Pardington, Robert Cherry and Callum Arnold.  Our sale of Desiree's Xteriors V easily eclipsed the previous record price for sale of a photograph in New Zealand.  

{Suite} hosted the ZUMWOHL friends and family function in August.  ZUMWOHL has now been officially launched in all of the bigger cities in New Zealand and is available through Liquor King nationwide. Staged at Te Rauparaha arena in October, the Maori Art Market was the closest that an art expose will ever get to our house in Karehana Bay!  We enjoyed meeting up with a few of the artists including Para Matchitt, Lorene Taurerewa and of course our good friend John Walsh. 

Despite horrific road works smothering the corner of Owen & Constable Streets for nearly 3 months, we have had a very good year with about a dozen works going to collectors in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney by artists including Desiree Dolron, Robert Cherry, Wayne Youle, Ans Westra and Callum Arnold.  We've made many great contacts with curators, collectors and media and look forward to our exhibitions next year.

The 2010 programme looks set to be a lot of fun.  Highlights will include Irene Ferguson in March, Fiona Pardington in April (ahead of her participation at the Sydney Biennale), Jonathan Campbell and Ans Westra in August, and Roger Boyce and Robert Cherry in October.  We will present a one week exhibition in the Garden City at Gallery O, Christchurch Art Centre from 22 June - 28 June.  ZUMWOHL will continue to support {Suite} exhibition openings and functions next year for, amongst others, Wellington Young Lawyers, Wellesley College, ANZ Private Bank, Friends of Te Papa, Wellington Young Professionals and Kiwibank. 

{Suite} will close on 24 December at 2pm and reopen at 11am on 27 January ahead of the opening of First Test on 29 January at 530pm.  This will be the first exhibition of works by Roger Boyce and Marie-Claire Brehaut in Wellington.  Their collaborative work Nature Morte will tour public galleries in New Zealand and Australia next year.  You can also catch Marie-Claire in Wellington on January 9 & 10 at the Pro Beach Volleyball tour, Oriental Parade Beach.

19 December 09

Roger Shepherd - Irene in ACC - Lorene @ Pataka - First Test

Our final show of 2009 - Here's to a delightful weekend in the country - opened on Friday.  We were overwhelmed with the number of visitors, most of whom seemed to really enjoy trying a couple of different ZUMWOHL long drinks on a lovely night in Wellington.

The star painting of the show is undoubtedly Irene Ferguson's portrait of Flying Nun Records founder, Roger Shepherd.  Roger stood for a photograph in front of the portrait - expect to see that in the media sometime in the next couple of weeks.  The show also features works by two {Suite} artists who we are showing for the first time:  New York based photographer, Carlo Van de Roer and Christchurch draftsman and painter, Simon Edwards (ex Janne Land Gallery). 

The other artists in Here's to a delightful weekend in the country are Arie Hellendoorn, Wayne Youle, Douglas Stichbury, Anton Parsons, Jonathan Campbell and Fiona Pardington.  One of Fiona's works - Wahine Engarahi - has generated quite some interest.  It's a very beautiful colour photograph of a doll and we're very pleased to have exclusive access to the complete edition.  

We've just sent away materials to the editor of Australian Art Collector magazine who will profile Irene Ferguson in their summer edition.  Irene has written a very interesting quote about her painting and the two page spread will feature an image of an excellent new painting.  If you are interested in receiving advance notice of details of the works in Irene's March show at Suite please contact us now to register your interest. 

Lorene Taurerewa's stunning exhibition Sleight of Hand opened at Pataka last week.  The show features several new large-scale drawings focusing on stories from her mother's childhood, and several small works on paper and canvasses.  We have a number of Lorene's drawings and watercolours in stock at the gallery and will receive the large charcoal drawings from Pataka at the conclusion of the exhibition on 7 February 2010. 

We're putting the finishing touches on plans for the first show of 2010 - First Test.  More details will be posted later but we're pleased to announce that the line up of artists is Roger Boyce, Grant Muir, Marie-Claire Brehaut, Peter Trevelyan, Jennifer Mason, Hannah Bremner, Andrea Gardner and Andrew Topp. 

6 December 09

The Vault @ CAG - O-tago - Youle in AAC - NZ Idle - RROGA

Neil Pardington's The Vault has opened at Christchurch Art Gallery.  Featuring 35 large photographic prints of storage areas in musuems and non-public areas, the exhibition will tour to, at least, Whanganui, Rotorua and Dunedin.  There are works on show of Te Arawa taonga and a few Te Arawa guests made the trip from Rotorua for the opening.   

An exhibition of five of Neil's Clinic Series opens in the downstairs glass room at the Otago Medical School tonight.  Organised by Dr Michael Baker and the Arts Committee, Ascent by Callum Arnold will also be exhibited in the cafe area.  The Medical School is only a stones throw away from {Suite} so drop in and take a look at the Clinic works when in Newtown.  A long downstairs hostpial corridor is probably the unltimate space for these works to be exhibited!   

It has been a big few weeks for Wayne Youle.  His survey show at Pataka - Ten Down - has just finished and he attended the opening of Close Encounters in Chicago.  The summer edition of Australian Art Collector has a two page profile of Wayne.   Stay Still .... Don't Move occupies one of the two pages - it's now part of a collection in sunny Sydney. 

Geoffrey Notman's New Zealand Idle opened on Friday and we had a number of visitors join us for a BBQ on Saturday.  Thank you to Nicky for the delicious marinated venison and to Andrew for the steak kebabs.  Several Notman works have sold and the feedback about Geoffrey's superb paintings has been overwhelmingly positive.  The exhibition is covered in the latest edition of Art News, and Abby Cunnane has written a good essay about the show.  The exhibition ends on Saturday 28 November.

Tomorrow night we play host to RROGA (Rangi Ruru Old Girls Association) (Wellington chapter).  Organised by ex-old girl Nicky, we've had a large number of RSVP's and the forecast looks good for a lovely night.   

19 November 09

Roger Boyce - Mason Merits - Paekakariki Paradise - Artville

We are happy to announce that Roger Boyce has joined the {Suite} stable of artists. Boyce has enjoyed one person exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Paris, and his work is represented in the collections of numerous American institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, New York University, the University Art Museum and University of California at Berkeley. The senior lecturer in painting at Ilam at Canterbury University, Boyce's own studio practice revolves around expanding definitions of painting and delight.  

Congratulations to Jennifer Mason for her recent success in the 2009 Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award. Her photographic work Proud gained Mason the Zini Douglas Merit Award and The Elizabeth Grierson Merit Award. This event is a feature of labour weekend on Waiheke and was judged this year by Dr Ed Hanfling.

Yesterday saw in the opening of the Paekakariki' - Its another name for Paradise exhibition at Pataka Museum, which runs until 20 November. The show features new works by a group of Paekakariki artists including {Suite} artists Elspeth Shannon, Irene Ferguson and Robert Cherry. 

Some of you may have seen the article Artville published in the Indulgence section of last weekend's Dominion Post. The article written by Ann Packer showcased several {Suite} artists artworks at Suite HQ in Karehana Bay, Porirua.   

30 October 09

Taurerewa and Matchitt - Youle to Chicago - The Vault at CAG

We met some fantastic artists and dignitaries at the Maori Art Market in Porirua last week. Despite the shocking weather all weekend there were a huge number of visitors on each of the three days and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting lots of new people and showing off works by Ans Westra and three leading Maori artists.

Two highlights of the weekend were meetings with New York based Lorene Taurerewa and Para Matchitt. We are pleased to announce that {Suite} now represents Lorene in New Zealand and that we will also exhibit recent works by Para. These two artists have extensive and impressive exhibition records and we look forward to showcasing their work.  

We will be travelling to Christchurch on 5 November for the opening of Neil Pardington's The Vault at the Christchurch Art Gallery. The exhibition includes 35 large works from The Vault series and will tour to other cities. More details will be posted at a later date when the itinerary is confirmed.

Opening on 8 November at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago is Close Encounters featuring Wayne Youle. Co-curated by Wellington based free-lance curator and writer Bruce E Phillips, the exhibition brings together eight international artists to explore the common desire to maintain cultural traditions while simultaneously embracing multicultural inclusiveness. There is no doubt that Wayne enjoys a significant international profile. The latest edition of Australian Art Collector features a two page spread on Wayne and we know of at least two other arts magazines who are scheduled to profile Wayne next year.

Anton Parsons' exhibition Time on Your Hands finished yesterday. The show generated a lot of interesting discussion and we look forward to showing Anton's works again some time soon.  The next show - David Boyce and Andy Palmer Being Longing - opens this Wednesday 21 October at 530pm.  

18 October 09

Green Party - Maori Market - Fiona P @ Sydney Biennale

Anton Parsons' show Time On Your Hands opened last Friday, 25 September.  The opening was very well attended and it was nice to meet a number of people visiting {Suite} for the first time.  The five exhibition works are all very chic and it's a pleasure to have nothing on the walls for a change! Time On Your Hands runs until 17 October.  

We met with the co-leaders of the Green Party last Friday during the installation of Neil Pardington's work Natural History Store # 2.   Shot at the Whanganui Regional Museum in 2006 and featuring a whale skeleton and part of the original Wanganui computer, the work looks great in the foyer of the Green Party office in Bowen House.  

We're making our final preparations for the Maori Art Market which officially opens on Thursday 8 October at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua.  {Suite} will present some excellent Maori (and non-Maori: Ans Westra) artwork and we look forward to welcoming visitors to stand # 1.  The Market is open to the public from 10am to 530pm on 9, 10 and 11 October.   

Finally, our congratulations to Fiona Pardington who has been invited to exhibit as part of the 2010 Sydney Biennale from 12 May - 1 August.      

02 October 09

AAC - 10 Down - Parsons Opening- Washday at the Pa

Anton Parsons' exhibition Time On Your Hands opens next Friday, 25 September.  We've received a number of enquiries about his work recently and look forward to this exhibition of larger works.  

New to {Suite} this week are three new works by Elspeth Shannon: Executive Sweet, Unmasked and Black Dog Free.  We've also received a very nice collection of vintage prints from Ans Westra, some of which are earmarked for the Maori Market.  Included in the collection are four rare prints (including the cover) from Washday at the Pa (1964) and several prints from Handboek.  Please contact us if you are interested in receiving a preview of these prints.  

16 September 09

Wallace Finalists - Youle @ Pataka - Maori Market - Pilot

We are pleased to announce that the finalists for the 2009 Wallace Art Awards include Jonathan Campbell and Glenn Burrell.  Jonathan's entry is a new work titled Circa 1933 Bronzerrotype;  Glenn's entry, Homo Sapien, was shown at {Suite} in December 2008 as part of The Kids Are Alright.  The winner of the awards will be announced on 8 September and we wish Jonathan and Glenn the best of luck!  

Opening on 5 September at Pataka Museum is Wayne Youle's survey exhibition 10 Down.  We and several of our clients have lent works for 10 Down, which will be the biggest exhibition of Wayne's works to date.  The official opening of 10 Down will take place during the Maori Market on 9, 10 and 11 October. 

{Suite} is exhibiting at Maori Market (at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua) and has been allocated stand # 1.  We will show works by Wayne Youle, Fiona Pardington, Neil Pardington and Ans Westra who is one of the few 'guest' non-Maori artists to have been invited to exhibited at the Maori Market.  

Carlo Van de Roer features in the latest edition of Pilot, a very cool relatively new magazine directed by Andy Pickering.  Pilot showcases the best in contemporary creative culture from connected global networks, promoting new ideas, new perspectives and new futures.  The next edition is due out in November and will include a feature on Desiree Dolron.  

30 August 2009

New Arnold Works Online - Youle's Good Morning

Callum Arnold's upcoming exhibition 'Divergence' will open on the 2nd of September, with the opening event on Friday the 4th of September with Callum. A number of interested collectors are looking forward to seeing his new works, which will be avaiable online for viewing from the 1st of September.

Wayne Youle featured on the Good Morning show yesterday to talk about his upcoming 'New Artland' TVNZ documentary. Hosted By Chris Knox, the documentary follows the process of Youle's commission Where You Stay? which involved having 100 people tattooed with a 125mm tall/long black outline map of Aotearoa, marking specifically their home, or turangawaewae.  The new series of New Artland kicks off with Where You Stay? on Saturday 29 August, 9:30pm on TVNZ 7.  The episode will be available to view online thereafter on the New Artland website.  To see the Good Morning interview click here.

20 August 09

Green Party & Uni of Otago Wellington loans - NZIPP

Last Friday saw in the opening of Neil Pardington's exhibition, The Vault (part 4). The strong turn-out was matched by good enthusiasm and feedback about the show, which is made up of some of the latest works from the Vault series, as well as some popular older works. Zum Wohl went down well, with the bottle design also being the work of Neil, and a timely introduction to the product which begins its launch nationwide this month.

We are happy to announce that a number of Neil Pardington's works will be loaned to the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the University of Otago's  School of Medicine Wellington Campus.  More details regarding opening dates and the works being loaned will be posted at a later date. 

Wellington plays host to the NZIPP's annual conference INFOCUS from 20-27 August.  INFOCUS encompasses: the annual Epson NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards, the NZIPP conference and an industry trade show. We look forward to welcoming conference members to Suite to see Neil's show. 

6 August 09

The Vault (part 4) - Zum Wohl - Crazy Horse 

Neil Pardington's exhibition The Vault (part 4) opens this Friday 31 July at 530pm.  The exhibition includes four Vault series works on show for the first time and a selection of older works including Making Situations I & II from Noir, 1989 and Facade shot in Berlin, 2000. 

The opening will be supported by Zum Wohl, which is being rolled out nationally starting this week.  ZUMWOHL is inspired by and based on a traditional German shot drink; it is crystal clear and colourless with a consistency similar to grappa or vodka. Zum Wohl is smooth to drink and looks stunning thanks to Neil Pardington's bottle design.  The first bars in Wellington to stock Zum Wohl are Scopa Cafe Cucina, Duke Carvell's Swan Lane Emporium and the brand new Crazy Horse Steak House.   

{Suite} has supplied the artworks for the new Crazy Horse Steak House on Willis Street.  The three artworks by Elspeth Shannon look stunning as part of the fit out.  Set up by Lorenzo and Leonardo Bresolin, Crazy Horse is a place where "the fat cats will host the new kittens coming through and take them out for a special night. A restaurant where people like to go on celebratory occasions . . . a place where people get excited about dressing up and going out for dinner" (Bresolin Boys Break Out Dominion Post, 18 July 09).  

Finally, our congratulations to David Boyce for having been selected as a finalist in the 2009 Trust Waikato Contemporary Art Award. The winner will be announced on 4 September 2009 at the Exhibition Opening and Award Ceremony in Hamilton. 
 

26 July 09

Gilbert & Guests - Independent - Where You Stay? - Nicky

The Gilbert & Guests exhibition is well into its second week.  The opening was well attended and we've received a lot of good feedback about the works.  The Fomison and Moffitt's have proved a hit with visitors, as have the new works by Jonathan Campbell and Andrew Topp.  Gilbert & Guests ends at 5pm on Saturday 25 July and we look forward to showing many more visitors around over the next two weeks.  

Readers of the 25 June Independent may have read the article we had published in that edition.  The article titled "The art of a good investment" compares the investment return of art against other asset classes.  Developed by two New York University economists, the Mei Moses index has shown that artworks sold at auction during the past 50 years had a compound annual growth rate better than that of bonds and close to that of the Standard & Poor's 500 index.  You can read the full text of the article here. 

TVNZ have announced that the premier screening date of Wayne Youle - Where You Stay? will take place on Saturday 29 August (TVNZ 7 and Sky Channel 97).  Shot at {Suite} on 9 March for New Artland hosted by Chris Knox, Where You Stay? involved 100 people being tattooed on one day.   We made the front page of the 10 March Dominion and have enjoyed catching up with many of the participants since the big day.  The series may also be viewed online via the New Artland website. 

Finally, we are pleased to announce that Nicky Calder has joined {Suite} as gallery manager.  A marketing and art history graduate from Otago University, Nicky has recently returned from two years overseas working in the mega yacht industry in France and in public relations in London. 

6 July 09

Gilbert & Guests opening - Creature Discomforts - Knox

Creature Discomforts at The Suter in Nelson featuring works by Neil and Fiona Pardington ends on 21 June.  At the conclusion of that show Neil and Fiona's works travel to the Canterbury Museum for inclusion in Snare/mahanga:  contemporary artists respond to birds in the Canterbury Museum collection.  The exhibition runs from 23 July - 13 September and also features works by Wayne Youle and Bill Hammond. 

We were very sorry to hear that Chris Knox has fallen ill and we wish him and his family all the best for a speedy recovery.

15 June 09

Last week of Aldridge & Youle - Hellendoorn & Cherry opening 

The James Aldridge and Wayne Youle exhibitions end at 5pm on Saturday 30 May.  There has been a great response to both sets of works with many people having visited after reading Mark Amery's Dominion Post review.  We enjoyed hosting the Home Magazine Wellington Style Safari, Friends of Pataka and Te Papa, and clients of ANZ Private Bank during this exhibition, and look forward to welcoming more visitors during the final week.      

New to the gallery this week are works from Wellington bronze artist Jonathan Campbell and Newtown painter and print maker Andrew Topp.  Previously with the Janne Land gallery, Campbell features in Warwick Brown's Seen This Century.  Topp has exhibited most recently at SOCA in Auckland.  Works by both artists will be included in the upcoming exhibition Gilbert & Guests opening on 1 July 09.  The exhibition also features works by Trevor Moffitt, Tony Fomison, George Chance, Ralph Hotere, Barry Cleavin and John Pule.  

Several of Arie Hellendoorn's new paintings have been reserved by collectors (including the James Wallace Arts Trust) ahead of the opening of Know Nos on 5 June.  This body of work has been painted while Arie is temporarily based in Korea.  It is a departure from recent works which referenced historical painting but he continues to recontextualise modernism. Also opening on 5 June is Robert Cherry's much anticipated exhibition Meadow Fresh.     

23 May 09

Successful Aldridge and Youle opening - DomPost on Wed

The James Aldridge and Wayne Youle opening on Friday was a great success despite the awful weather that evening.  About 100 visitors braved the elements and there was plenty of positive feedback about both sets of works.  Quite a few visitors have commented that James' paintings were amongst the best that they had ever seen;  his cut-outs are also sensational.  Wellington has not seen anything like this and it's our pleasure to be the first gallery in the Southern Hemisphere to exhibit work by this exciting artist.   

There has been plenty of interest in the Wayne Youle show too. Dubbed a "cultural prankster" by leading Art writer Warwick Brown in his latest book Seen this Century, Wayne's diverse works can be linked by one factor - his sense of humour.  It is difficult to make serious art that is also amusing but Wayne almost always succeeds. 

Keep an eye out for this Wednesday's Dominion Post which will include a review of both shows by Mark Amery.  Mark said on the phone to me today that this was the best Wayne Youle show that he had seen (and he's seen quite a few).     

We were pleased to have the support of Black Estate at the opening on Friday.  Their "straight from the Mosel" 08 Riesling is superb as is the 07 Chardonnay and 06 Pinot Noir.  Stockists in Wellington include Regional Wines, Matterhorn and Floriditas.  

11 May 09

Auckland Art Fair wrap - Aldridge and Youle opening on Friday

We're back in Wellington after a fantastic few days in Auckland.  The Auckland Art Fair was a huge success on many levels - we've had a lot of feedback about our stand including an email today from a visitor who simply wanted to let us know that she "had the privilege of seeing the Dolron Xteriors work at the recent Auckland Art Fair ... the composition and nuance is incredible!"   

We made a lot of great contacts and look forward to keeping in touch with you all in the future.  One Dolron work, one Arnold painting and two Cherry sculptures have crossed the ditch.  The works we exhibit hold their own by any standard and we were thrilled that {Suite} has continued to attract the interest of international collectors. 

Douglas drove the {Suite} van home on Monday and got straight back to work today stretching the Aldridge canvasses ahead of the opening on Friday.  Fresh off the plane from Christchurch, Wayne Youle dropped off two large works today for installation tomorrow morning.  Several collectors have asked to visit ahead of the opening on Friday. Nearly all of the works will be available for viewing at {Suite} from lunch time tomorrow.  James' cut-outs will be installed on Friday morning in time for the Home Style Safari at 230pm that day.   

The Aldridge and Youle opening runs from 530-730pm and is supported by Black Estate. This exhibition will be superb - we are honoured to be the first gallery to exhibit James' works in the Southern Hemisphere.

6 May 09

Day 1 a hit at our first Art Fair in Auckland

We've had a great Day One at the Auckland Art Fair with our #1 stand proving a hit.  Several visitors made a beeline for our stand, coming specially to see the international works that we have on show.  

We've received a lot of feedback that the Desiree Dolron and James Aldridge works are amongst the best at the fair.  We agree!   Both artists' works are superb and it's no coincidence that both Desiree and James are represented in some of the biggest museums in the world.  Many visitors appreciated the link between Frits and Yves Klein and were interested to learn that the Frits Klein works have come from Yves' sister's collection in Paris. 

The Callum Arnold, Robert Cherry and Neil Pardington works have also been very well received.  Callum's new paintings are extremely well executed as is Neil's new photograph of the Auckland Museum textile store.  Robert's dynamic sculptural works have been the subject of much discussion and differing interpretation.

We are proud and privileged to present an exciting range of beautiful international artworks and look forward to welcoming visitors over the next two days.  

1 May 09

Shannon & Gardner opening - {Suite} expands in Newtown

19 April 09

Lucky # 1 at Auckland Art Fair - Simon Edwards joins {Suite}

{Suite} has been allocated lucky # 1 booth at the upcoming Auckland Art Fair.  Our stand is directly next to the cafe and media centre, along side John Leech Gallery and across the way from Sue Crockford and old friends Peter McLeavey and Warwick Henderson.   

{Suite} will exhibit one brand new work from Desiree Dolron's Xteriors series (pictured) and ten prints from her acclaimed Te de todos mis suenos series  (three of which are held in the permanent collection of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York). Other works to be exhibited include new paintings by Callum Arnold, a dozen works on paper from the Frits Klein estate, and a painting and paper cut-out by English-man James Aldridge.  This will be the first time that James has exhibited in the Southern Hemisphere and the first time that Dolron and Klein's works have been seen in Auckland.  Robert Cherry's conceptual sculptural works Whittling Retreat and Sleeping in the Shade promise to woo visitors as will Neil Pardington's Art Store # 3 print featuring Julian Daspher.  

{Suite} will be exhibiting some of the most exciting works at the Auckland Art Fair and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand.  Please feel free to contact us to purchase Vernissage tickets through our gallery.  Commencing at 7pm on Thursday 30 April, the Vernissage gala party is the social highlight of the fair and presents the first opportunity to purchase work on show.

Finally, {Suite} is also pleased to announce that Christchurch based Simon Edwards has joined as a gallery artist.  Having previously exhibited at Janne Land Gallery, Simon's superb charcoals, pastels and paintings will be well known to many.  We already have some of Simon's work in stock and look forward to him exhibiting as part of the upcoming group show Here's To A Delightful Weekend In The Country.  His first solo exhibition is scheduled for early - mid 10.   

28 March 09 

Arnold and Youle in Seen This Century by Warwick Brown

Warwick Brown's new book Seen This Century - 100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists, A Collector's Guide (Random House) will be released ahead of the Auckland Art Fair on Thursday 16 April at Webbs in Auckland.    

Brown published 100 New Zealand Artists and Another 100 New Zealand Artists in the early 1990s to great acclaim.  His new book focusses on 100 artists who have come to prominence since 2000;  it is an invaluable tool for collectors in that it highlights who is on the rise, who will become the next big thing and whose work should be bought now before prices skyrocket.

{Suite} is pleased to announce that two gallery artists - Callum Arnold and Wayne Youle - feature in Seen This Century. 

20 March 09

Where You Stay? wrap - Black Estate at Aldridge & Youle show

The Dominion Post and Stuff readers were treated to a great photo and write up about Where You Stay? on the front page of Tuesday's (10 March) newspaper and Stuff.  The event was successfully completed on Monday 9 March with 100 people receiving the tattoo designed by Wayne Youle.  It was a truly memorable day and we would like to thank everyone involved. 

We've received many calls and emails from people wanting to know where they can view and post photos of the day.  We're building up a photo archive of Where You Stay? on the {Suite} Facebook page - please post your photos there.   

We are pleased to have the support of Black Estate winery at the opening of the upcoming exhibition of new works by James Aldridge and Wayne Youle on Friday 8 May.  More details of the the opening will be posted closer to the time.     

18 March 09

Reddaway & Secto exhibition opening - Newtown Fest - 6pm

Richard Reddaway's long awaited exhibition Sketches towards an unfinished music collaboration opens at {Suite} on 13 March (530-730pm).  The exhibition includes 10 hand made speakers finished in rimu veneer.  The speakers blur the lines between architecture, design and art.  They are beautiful objects that represent ‘chaotic growth' - an explosion where objects are built upon, creating a sprawl full of noise. A soundtrack composed specifically for the installation will play for the duration of the exhibition.  We are pleased to have the support of Seresin Estate during the Reddaway exhibitions.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the main day of the Newtown Festival so there will inevitably be a few carnis on the streets.  All of the golden tickets have been allocated for Monday's Where You Stay?  featuring Wayne Youle, Chris Knox, Tommy Downs and Ra Kopu.  Kick off is 9am until all 100 tattoos are drawn.  {Suite} will also be open tomorrow - please stop off if you are nearby.

Finally, following more feedback from visitors, we are pleased to announce that {Suite} has extended its opening hours for the second time in two months.  Wednesday - Friday {Suite} will now be open until 6pm; Saturday we will open until 5pm.   

7 March 09

Where you stay? (for TVNZ's New Artland) on 9 March

TVNZ has commissioned Wayne Youle to orchestrate an art work for an upcoming episode of New Artland (hosted by Chris Knox). Wayne's idea for the work follows on from his recent focus on New Zealand identity and the concept of turangawaewae, which while specifically related to Maori is a universal idea. We all as New Zealanders have a place or places that we link to physically and spiritually.

Wayne's commission Where You Stay? involves having 100 people tattooed with a 125mm tall/long black outline map of Aotearoa. Each recipient will also have the opportunity to have as many small red dots as they like put on the map to signify places of importance to them - their turangawaewae. Leading tattoo artists Tommy Downs and Ra Kopu have been charged with drawing the tattoos.

Where You Stay? will commence at {Suite} at 9am on Monday 9 March 09 and conclude when all 100 tattoos have been completed at approximately 9pm the same day. There is no charge for the tattooing but people will need a golden ticket to take part.  Please feel free to visit and be part of this exciting event.

Get your golden ticket in Wellington on Friday 6 March

12.00 - 1.00pm  -  Midland Park, Lambton Quay
2.00 - 3.00pm - Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall
4.00pm - Outside the Miramar New World carpark

25 February 09

Good Keen Men and Desiree Dolron at DesignWorks

Good Keen Men features works by Bill Hammond, Nigel Brown, Keith Morant, Russell Clark, John Gully, Theo Schoon, Henry Winkelmann, Robin Morrison, George Chance and E Mervyn Taylor.  The show opens at 11am on Wednesday 18 February and ends at about 9pm on Monday 9 March, a day after the main event in the Newtown Festival.  A major art event involving Wayne Youle will take place at {Suite} between 9am - 9pm on 9 March - more details will follow.  

Two of the highlights of Good Keen Men are rare photographs by English born Henry Winkelmann, one of the pioneers of photography in New Zealand.  Other highlights include two Robin Morrison photographs shot for the 1976 Thorndon Preservation Society Calendar, and two early drawings by Bill Hammond.  These are important Hammond works from a period that is not well documented.      

Wellingtonians will have their last chance to see the superb photographs of Dutch born Desiree Dolron when several works from her acclaimed Te de todos mis suenos / I give you all my dreams series go on show at DesignWorks.  DesignWorks is located at Level 5, 7-11 Dixon Street, Wellington and the exhibition is open to the public from 830am - 530pm Monday - Friday during 23 February- 24 April 09.  The exhibition opening will take place on Friday 20 February from 530-830pm.  

17 February 09

Anton Parsons work featured on cover of Home

"Numbers" by Auckland based sculptor Anton Parsons features on the cover of the February/March 09 issue of Home magazine (previously New Zealand Home + Entertaining).  The large freestanding work sits on the deck of a house designed by Lance and Nicky Herbst of Herbst Architects.  The theme of this issue of Home is "Art Houses" - more details are available on the Home blog.   

An exhibtion of Anton's work is scheduled for September this year.  Anton had several smaller works in the December exhibition The Kids Are Alright.  

16 February 09

{Suite} artists selected for Auckland Art Fair 09

{Suite} has selected works by six artists to show at New Zealand's premier visual arts event, the Auckland Art Fair in May 09.  The works are by Desiree Dolron (Netherlands), Frits Klein (France), James Aldridge (United Kindgdom), Neil Pardington, Robert Cherry and Callum Arnold (New Zealand).  This will be the first time that Desiree Dolron and Frits Kleins' works have been shown in Auckland, and the first exhibition of James Aldridge's work in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Dolron has become known both for her probing travel reports as well as for her staged photographs made partly with the help of the computer.  The works on show are from the Te di todos mis suenos (2002-03) series, and her acclaimed Xteriors (2001-today) series in which Dolron shows her devotion to painting by giving her anonymous models a semblance of the Flemish Primitives and Johannes Vermeer.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, Aldridge now lives and works in Sweden.  He has received awards including Chapter Residency (Cardiff) and the Rome Scholarship in Fine Art, and has exhibited in London, Amsterdam, Venice, Rome and Frankfurt.  Forthcoming shows in Copenhagen, Madrid and New York are scheduled.  Aldridge currently has work at the Tate Modern, London. 

Several works on paper from the Frits Klein Estate will be exhibited.  Born in Java, Frits, the father of Yves Klein, always knew that he wanted to be an artist, and in 1920 left for Paris to work along side Piet Mondrian. Frits was honoured with a major retrospective at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam in 1978.

New photographic works by Wellington based artist Neil Pardington will be exhibited.  Pardington needs no introduction, being widely regarded as one of New Zealand's pre-emient photographers, designers and film makers.  Three small sculptural works by Wellington based chameleon Robert Cherry will also be on show.  A selection of new landscape paintings by Christchurch based artist Callum Arnold completes the line up.

The Auckland Art Fair runs from 1-3 May at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour.  Please visit our stand.  

1 February 09