Festival Zone
Welcome to Festival Zone for June 2014. It's been a great opening weekend with talks, events and exhibitions on around the region. Check out our full media coverage here with photographer interviews on TVNZ, Radio New Zealand, Maori TV, NZ Herald, TV3, The Eye of Photography, D Photo, Metro, Art News as well as many more.
Silo 6 - Annual Commission by Sacred Hill
Tanu Gago's new commissioned work is now on display at the Silo 6 in Wynyard Quarter.
Recently published interview with Tanu Gago by Paris based The Eye of Photography states - The commission for the Auckland Festival is the first time Gago has photographed the women in his Pacific family and community. He says it is a natural progression from his earlier work dealing with masculine identities, and also queer identity in the Pacific, which he says is even more invisible within Pacific cultural representation.
Tanu Gago from Tama'ita'i Pasifika Mao'i series
“To balance out the narrative I wanted to look at the women in my family. I talked to a lot of people about what they imagine the Pacific experience is for women. Many said ‘oh aren’t they unemployed, with like nine kids sitting at home wearing Mena dresses and huge flowers behind their ears! That’s what people outside of my community think, and that’s their lasting image, which is perpetuated by advertising and national rhetoric that really promotes New Zealand as being a Pacific country and the women as decorations.” says Gago.
See full exhibition programme.
Signature exhibitions
Opening this week are plenty of excellent and inspiring exhibitions, Photoforum celebrate their 40th year at Gus Fisher, with a who's who of NZ photography and have great series of public talks throughout June. Congratulations to John B Turner, Haru Sameshima, Jan Young, Geoff Short, Nina Seja to name but a few people who have brought this celebration to life this Festival. Streets We Have Known, features Solomon Mortimer, Edith Amituanai, Allan McDonald, Lucien Rizos, Photoman 777777 at Anna Miles Gallery. Boyd Webb Images From The Cusp starts on 6 June at Two Rooms, Joe Sheehan opens his Screenshots at Tim Melville Gallery, Becky Nunes shows in Mt Eden's Nkb Gallery with Co-orbital whilst over in Northart is both Ans Westra with "Our Future" and direct from Head On Photo Festival in Sydney, our Asia Pacific Photoforum partners, is the Head On Portrait Prize 2014 exhibition. This is a must see selection of top Australian portrait photography hot of the presses, on until 18 June. One winner below is by Carole Hampshire whose portrait of Rachel & Neill is challenging. Don't miss this show.
Nikon Auckland Photo Day - 7 June 2014
Next Saturday is our annual 24 hours day in the life of the region competition. Anyone with an imaging device can take part with their own photos of their day. And anyone can win this great selection of prizes from Nikon. See previous winners here for inspiration.
This event celebrates the many individual pockets of culture and identity present in New Zealand's biggest city by building cultural currency. Whilst celebrated in a spirit of fun this event also fulfills the important role of documenting our life right here and now in the world we live in.
The winning photographer will win a 1st prize of:
NIKON D5300 w AF-S DX NIkkOR 18-140MM VR LENS
Lightweight, full-featured DX-format D-SLR with 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 39-point, and Full HD movie recording. Nikon’s first DSLR to feature a built-in Wi-Fi®, so you can instantly transfer your photos*.. Crystal-clear 3.2-inch LCD vari-angle monitor lets you shoot at any angle.
Plus a Lexar JUMPDRIVE S50 8GB
Plus 1 x DVD on Photographer Annie Liebowitz: Life Through a Lens
Win a 2nd prize comprising:
NIKON 1 Aw1 + 1 NIKKOR Aw 11- 27.5MM Lens
The world’s first rugged interchangeable lens camera. Waterproof to 15m, Shockproof to 2m, and operates at -10c ! The 14.2 megapixel Nikon 1 AW1 uses an advanced hybrid AF system and Expeed 3A image processor to give 15 frames per second performance in any environment.
Plus a Lexar JUMPDRIVE S50 8GB
Plus 1 x DVD on Photographer Annie Liebowitz: Life Through a Lens
3rd prize:
NIKON COOLPIX P340
Small in stature and high in performance, the NIKON COOLPIX P340 features 12.2 megapixels, an f/1.8 lens and large ISO sensitivity range for clarity in all conditions. With Wi-Fi and full creative control this pocket rocket provides full functionality on the move.
Plus a Lexar JUMPDRIVE S50 8GB
Plus 1 x DVD on Photographer Annie Liebowitz: Life Through a Lens
ALL TOP 30 receive a Lexar JUMPDRIVE S50 8GB and Top 20 receive 1 x DVD on photography.
Talking Culture Sunday Series 8th June
Rob Harley is a documentary maker, who has a career spanning the last two decades, exposing stories that matter. Rob set out in late 2011 to find out the truth behind the murder of NZ photographer, Trent Keegan. Trent, an adventurous freelance photographer, was found murdered in a ditch in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2008. 1pm screening and Q + A with Rob Harley.
3pm Simon Devitt, discusses his photo book about architecture, people and place. At Auckland Art Gallery auditorium. FREE.
Memory exhibitions
Opening 3rd June at Hum Salon, 6pm to 9pm, is Rob Gilhooly's documentary photography project " Suicide Forest", recently described by The Eye of Photography "One of the most profound exhibitions in this year’s Festival is British photographer Rob Gilhooly’s “Suicide Forest”. This is a beautifully composed photo essay of what may be one of the loneliest places on earth for this forest is where an inordinate number of Japanese people have chosen to end their lives."
