Creative New Zealand and Te Papa have announced that the national museum will host a special exhibition of New Zealand’s 2009 Venice Biennale exhibtions in 2010.
Creative New Zealand and Te Papa have announced that the national museum will host a special exhibition of New Zealand’s 2009 Venice Biennale exhibtions in 2010.
John Hurrel from eye CONTACT has reviewed Judy Millar's newest publications including her book Giraffe-bottle-gun about her exhibition in Venice. Foreward by NZ Commissionor Jenny Harper, edited by curator Leonhard Emmerling.
The 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia ran from 7 June - 22 November 2009. More than 114,000 visitors viewed Judy Millar’s installation, Giraffe-Bottle-Gun, curated by Leonhard Emmerling and Francis Upritchard’s installation, Save Yourself curated by Heather Galbraith and Francesco Manacorda. Below is a list of facts and figures relating to the 2009 Venice Biennale as well as the visitor numbers recorded for 2003 and 2005.
New Zealand’s participation at the art world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibition – the Venice Biennale – was a critical and popular success with an unprecedented number of visitors passing through the 2009 exhibitions.
The 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia closed on 22 November. More than 114,000 visitors viewed Judy Millar’s installation, Giraffe-Bottle-Gun, curated by Leonhard Emmerling and Francis Upritchard’s installation, Save Yourself curated by Heather Galbraith and Francesco Manacorda.
The opening ceremonies attracted widespread international media coverage; numerous major art publications have printed interviews with the artists and reviews of their work. Both artists have been invited to contribute at international exhibitions and art fairs. Judy Millar has been selected for the prestigious New York International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) residency on the strength of her biennale representation.
Creative New Zealand’s Arts Council Chair Alastair Carruthers congratulated all those involved in this year’s event. “New Zealanders should be very proud of what Judy Millar and Francis Upritchard have achieved. We look forward to welcoming their artwork back to New Zealand at Te Papa as part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival in February.”
Mr Carruthers also acknowledged the support of other partners, “The success of the event would not have been possible without the contribution of significant private patronage, support from New Zealand Major Events, Tourism New Zealand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Te Papa.”
Mr Carruthers confirmed today that Creative New Zealand has commenced planning for the 2011 Venice Biennale and announced that this year’s commissioner Jenny Harper would again be New Zealand’s Commissioner for 2011.
Jenny Harper said the importance of a New Zealand exhibit at the Venice
Biennale was crucial to this country’s reputation in the international
visual art field.
“I am delighted with the results we achieved at the 2009 biennale. Our
artists presented quite wonderful work and there was a willing team of
supporters who made our presence connect with the biennale audience. Of
course, I am thrilled to have been asked to be commissioner once more
and look forward to us achieving success again and into the future.”
Jenny Harper will form a visual arts advisory panel in the New Year to progress planning for the next biennale.
The unique New Zealand opening event and display of the best of New Zealand’s contemporary culture supported New Zealand’s presence at the 2009 Venice Biennale. The New Zealand Room adjacent to Judy Millar’s venue was used to promote New Zealand cultural trade and tourism to an international audience.
The Venice Biennale was established in 1895 is now recognised as the oldest, longest running cultural event of its kind, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to each event. Although there are now many other large-scale recurrent exhibitions, none compare to the Venice Biennale in terms of international networking and promotional opportunities.
The 2009 Venice Biennale attracted a record number of 77 national pavilions with a total of 375,000 visitors to the paid exhibitions (Arsenale and Giardini) and an average daily visitor number of 2,223. During the 24 weeks of its running time, the 53rd Exhibition was constantly at the top of the rankings of the most‐visited exhibitions in Italy.
For further information, pictures, biennale footage and interviews, please contact:
Hannah Evans
Creative New Zealand
027 677 807
Developed alongside her work currently on show in the New Zealand Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the new work in this exhibition at Gow Langsford Gallery extends Judy Millar's tireless interrogation of the possibilities inherent in the immediacy of painting as an activity and an act of communication in today's world. Millar will present mechanically-generated enlargements of small handmade gestures that threaten to engulf the viewer alongside smaller oil on canvas paintings that present strangely detached images evoking things known but appearing to unravel. In doing so Millar troubles our expectations of the expressive gesture and indeed of painting itself.
Read a review from NZ Herald and on eye CONTACT art forum
