Welcome to Festival Zone for the start of the 2015 Auckland Festival of Photography. In this e-news we kick off the Festival with the opening event at Silo 6 and P J Paterson's "Year of the Bull" part of his new work in the 2015 Annual Commission by Sacred Hill. 

P J Paterson; Year of the Bull

P J Paterson - Year of the Bull, 2015, Digitally Collaged Photograph, 1990x1220

In March as part of a Creative New Zealand research and development trip, P J travelled to Shanghai in China to start the process of developing his new work. The results are astonishing, see Shanghai as an imagined landscape of unlikely objects and buildings, challenging the terrain and geography of one of China's most historic and contemporary cities. Following the world premiere at the Auckland Festival of Photography this Commissioned series will go to China in September at the Pingyao International Photography Festival. Congratulations to P J.

The Festival Trust are now in an arrangement with the Wallace Arts Trust to show and loan out Annual Commission works from 2011 onwards for exhibition. This is wonderful way for these cultural assets to be seen by future audiences around New Zealand. Currently on at The Pah Homestead is the 2011 -2014 Annual Commission works, until 19 July. We would like to thank the Wallace Arts Trust for their support of the Festival.

Full calendar of exhibitions and events on our website.


Truth & Fiction at Silo 6

Come to see the work of 4 international artists alongside the work of P J Paterson at Silo 6, all play on the imagined constructed image, a fiction of surreal worlds and environments which take the viewer to alternative and challenging concepts of photography as a holder of truth. Han Jiangang from China has created a 3 meter high installation Paramita a 586 peice work looking at the female form, along with Interiors by Maria Kapajeva from Estonia on show here, in tandem with Dirk Hanus of Germany and the UK's brilliant Julia Fullerton-Batten. Over at the Auckland Art Gallery as part of the Truth and Fiction theme is Lisa Reihana's world premiere of her new digital work in Pursuit of Venus [infected]. And one of New Zealand's most established artists, Laurence Aberhart has his documentary series ANZAC opening on 30 May at the AAG.

Lisa Reihana

Lisa Reihana, in Pursuit of Venus (still), 2015,
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, gift of the
Patrons of Auckland Art Gallery, 2014

Maria Kapajeva

Maria Kapajeva, Interior series 1

Julia Fullerton-Batten

Julia Fullerton-Batten, Mothers and Daughters, Burning The Past, Samantha & Yvonne 2012

dirk hanus

Dirk Hanus, Inner Spaces - Surreal Worlds, Fire Night.

Fringe exhibitions 2015

Photographs from Cuba to Siberia, to West Auckland pinhole artist, Jenny Tomlin, to students work, to UN Human Rights, to gardens and music, to the Simon Devitt Prize for archictecture students, to Waiheke Blokes, to soccer fans at Britomart, to Holy Trinity in Avondale and out to the regional Botanical Gardens in Manurewa, to Shades of Otara and hundreds of primary school students exhibiting at Orewa's Estuary Arts, this FRINGE programme has it all, from Britomart to Howick, and Pukekohe to Kumeu - there is something for everyone near to where you live or work or study - and it's all FREE. 54 exhbitions should keep you all warm indoors and busy at the various opening events and functions over the 3 week Festival. Get your maps and diaries out!

Auckland Festival of Photography 2015 full programme is now available online and printed copies are now at venues, libraries and community spaces in your Auckland area. Follow us now on Instagram at @aklphotofestival and remember to #aklphotofestival2015 us in to your posts.

Festival programmes can be downloaded or viewed on our website or we have printed copies available at our office in Parnell. 


Opening weekend screenings, talks, workshops,symposium

Come along to the "Photobook Stories" Talking Culture Symposium on 30th May at Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium to hear invited speakers Anita Totha, Photobook Club Auckland, who talks us through the scene in Auckland, Dr Doug Spowart (Aus), expert researcher has viewed nearly 5,000 books in his career, whilst Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, from Kaunas Photo Festival present about the history and current photobook in Lithuania and all take part in the panel discussion with Momento Pro's Libby Jeffery plus Haru Sameshima from Rim Books.

Get your work seen and critiqued by our selected experts at the Portfolio Reviews on over our opening weekend, Queens Birthday holiday Monday 1st June - Chris Traill, FNZIPP, Allan McDonald, Senior Unitec Photographer and Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, from Kaunas Photo Festival. Bookings recommended. Free. Sessions are 20 minutes one on one. More details here and how to go in the draw to win a prize - HP is proud to be offering the chance to win a HP DreamColor HP Z24s 24-Inch 4K IPS Display, with stunning image accuracy and unbelievable image quality this prize will be an essential addition to any photographers toolkit. (Everyone who has their portfolio reviewed on 1 June and 13 June at Northart will be entered into the draw). Book now!

These are the Festival opening weekend series of free talks, screenings and workshops happening at various venues in the Festival;

From 29 May throughout to 19 June projections - Two videos will be screened during the Magnum exhibition - one is an Offside Brazil project video (7' 36" duration) featuring all the photographers involved, both Brazilian collectives and Magnum photographers and the other is a solo short film (8'36" duration) produced by Jonas Bendiksen. Aotea Centre, Queen Street, Auckland.

May 30 at Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium foyer screening – Short film by Kenji Oyama (duration 15’00”). Screening of a video sequence by Kenji Oyama, from a series of HDD videos on The Japanese Photobook, on throughout the day.

May 31st Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium 3pm screening of Pictures on paper. A short film by Tangent Collective 2015, (duration 30 mins). The photo-book has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years. Combined with on-demand publishing it now offers photographers unprecedented and often unmediated access to audiences for their work.

June 1st Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium 2pm screening Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens (2006, 90 minutes) Leibovitz has produced some of the most iconic images of the last 30 years. She has photographed the rich and famous, the profound and powerful, the exceptional and notorious.

June 1st at Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter 345pm: Talk - Mikolaj Nowacki discusses his project Odra where he explores the river area of his youth and his work with local barge operators that capture traditional life in Poland in a contemporary photographic setting. Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter. Bring warm coats and scarves, limited heating and seating.

June 1st at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design NEW Projections & Talk 530 - 730pm - Join the Magnum Photos workshops team to see the work of the participants and in addition a keynote presentation by Thomas Dworzak, Magnum photographer who will be speaking about his own work for Magnum Photos. Special event hosted by Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, Balfour Road, Parnell.

Talking Culture events and Portfolio Reviews are sponsored by

HPLogo

Auckland Photo Blog - June

April Photo of The Month was by Helen Wong! Well done to Helen with her great portrait of a poet selling his words down at Wynyard Quarter! As part of the annual celebration of Auckland photography that is backbone of the Festival (and due to our not running our very popular 24 hour day in the life competition - Auckland Photo Day this year) - we are putting an "Auckland" theme up for June 2015 so that all of you who love taking part in Auckland Photo Day can shoot your best shots throughout the whole month of June. The June 'Photo of The Month' for the "Auckland" theme will win a bunch of stuff to celebrate the great region we all share.

Photo of the Month June 2015 prize pack - All about enjoying Auckland - 1 winner only - $100 movie vouchers, a voucher for Waiwera Private Spa for 2, a voucher trip to Rangitoto Island for 1, plus 1 voucher x bungy jump off the Harbour Bridge and a dinner voucher to the value of $150 - No vouchers are transferable for cash. But we'll give the winner in addition to these great experiences a cash bonus of $200. Judges decision is final, announced in early July.

Opens 1st June to 30th June, 9 entries per photographer. See terms and conditions on our website. Photos taken in Auckland can be existing or new ones but must not have been entered into any other competition including previous Auckland Photo Day competitions. Any photo which does not comply with this rule will be disqualified. 

Full calendar of exhibitions and events on our website.


Whitecliffe Festival Tuesday

Between 6pm and 9pm on 2 June 2015 - see the very best of New Zealand photography and discover galleries you've never been to on the Whitecliffe Festival Tuesday circuit. After you've soaked up one show simply hop in Whitecliffe Festival van and head to the next. We'll have you zipping round Auckland faster than you can say cheese.

Sound like a lot of fares? Don't worry, it's all free. Start at any venue on the circuit.

Complimentary Whitecliffe Festival vans will be picking up and dropping off every 20 minutes or so and you can get on and off as you please. Start at any of the venues listed on our website and whilst at the Festival hub at the Silo's don't forget to check out a new show in Silo 7 called "Water's Edge" which is opening the same night (next door to the Festival hub at Silo 6).

Please note the event will go ahead even if raining, but check weather forecast to see if you need a raincoat or umbrella. Go to any venue to start the circuit. Please note we do not guarantee to return you to your starting point, so use a taxi service back to your point of origin if this affects you. More details here.


Charity Fundraising Auction

For our ongoing fundraising drive for this Festival in 2015, we have donated works up for sale from Anne Noble, Neil Pardington, Julia Fullerton-Batten and Roberta Thornley for the Webbs in house auction being held on 11th June 2015. Plus many more great prints will be auctioned in our 30 June 2015 Auckland Festival of Photography charity fundraiser, see more details here - Charity Auction

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