AUCKLAND.- Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki opened a major new show, Modern Women: Flight of Time.
This landmark exhibition highlights the leading role women artists have played in shaping the development of modern art in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Spanning the period from 1920 to 1970, the exhibition combines more than 80 paintings, prints, sculptures and textiles from public and private collections across Aotearoa New Zealand to reveal new connections between artists, uncover previously hidden themes and revel in the theatre of modern art.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Auckland Art Gallery Director Kirsten Lacy says, “The Gallery is committed to ensuring that women artists take their due place in the history of modern art and that the contexts in which they produced are made visible. The women celebrated in Modern Women: Flight of Time are pioneering artists who boldly seized control of their own representation, leaving an indelible mark on New Zealand.”
While presenting key works by such iconic figures as Rita Angus, Frances Hodgkins, and A Lois White, the exhibition also aims to celebrate the significant contributions of lesserknown artists, including June Black, Flora Scales and Pauline Yearbury, one of the first Māori graduates of the Elam School of Fine Arts. The work of New Zealand artists is joined in the exhibition by a selection of artworks by international luminaries, including Elieen Agar, Natalia Goncharova and Winifred Knights. Through their works, the exhibition uncovers how these women navigated and transformed the cultural and political landscape of their time, offering new insights into themes of storytelling, identity and belonging.
The exhibition has been curated by Auckland Art Gallery Curator, New Zealand Art | Kairauhī, Toi nō Aotearoa, Julia Waite.
“Modern Women: Flight of Time invites audiences into a theatrical world of performance and characterisation to consider some of the daring artistic strategies women chose at a time of profound social change,” says Waite.
The exhibition is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated book, Modern Women: Flight of Time, which offers a deeper exploration of the featured artists and profiles additional artists.
Featuring writing from various experts, the book Modern Women: Flight of Time presents a new history that places women centre stage, exploring their vivid responses to modernity. The Gallery Shop has launched a new range inspired by the exhibition that focuses on women-led businesses.
Shop the range, which includes art prints, jewellery, homeware, beauty products, health products and fashion, in-store or online.
The range includes an exclusive collaboration with Karen Walker, introducing a collection of three silk scarves featuring artworks from the Gallery’s collection: Adele Younghusband’s Rehearsal (1938), Eileen Mayo’s Turkish Bath (circa 1930) and Teuane Tibbo’s Vase of Flowers (circa 1965).
“We’re incredibly excited to collaborate once again with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki on this new show,” says Karen Walker. “Translating these artworks into wearable pieces allows us to celebrate their work and legacy in a dynamic way, to be enjoyed every day.”
The artists featured in this exhibition are: Eileen Agar, Rita Angus, Mina Arndt, Tanya Ashken, June Black, Jenny Campbell, Alison Duff, Elizabeth Ellis, Jacqueline Fahey, Ivy Fife, Natalia Goncharova, Anne Hamblett, Rhona Haszard, Barbara Hepworth, Avis Higgs, Frances Hodgkins, Julia Holderness (Florence Weir), Laura Knight, Winifred Knights, Mere Harrison Lodge, Doris Lusk, Molly Macalister, Ngaio Marsh, Kāterina Mataira, Eileen Mayo, Juliet Peter, Margot Philips, Ilse von Randow, Anne Estelle Rice, Kittie Roberts, Flora Scales, Maud Sherwood, May Smith, Olivia Spencer Bower, Helen Stewart, Teuane Tibbo, A Lois White, Pauline Yearbury, Adele Younghusband, and Beth Zanders.
