Reproductive Surfaces: Jess Charlton, Tessa Russell, and Raewyn Martyn

Te Whare Hēra on Clyde Quay, January 24th to February 11th, 11am-4pm daily.

‘Closing’ celebration 5:30pm Thursday February 9th, panel discussion 1pm Friday February 10th, and a hands-on workshop 1pm Saturday the 11th.

Reproductive Surfaces presents new work by three artists working playfully within a shared system: translucent cellulose paintings grafted into the surfaces of Te Whare Hēra’s gallery space, and backlit within its harbour-facing windows. Two of these paintings will be hung to become projection screens for moving image work made at Scion, a crown research institute in Rotorua. A drying rack at the centre of the installation will produce sheets of cellulose throughout the duration of the exhibition, reconstituting rehydrated waste materials from within the installation process.

Artists:

Jess Charlton is a moving image artist and cinematographer living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Her collaborations span across documentary and drama as well as experimental film.

Raewyn Martyn is an artist and teacher currently living in Ōtautahi. Her work with biopolymers grew out of a desire to make paintings that could become liquid again, leading to collaborations with scientists and filmmakers to understand a range of biopolymers and how they behave beyond industrial applications.

Tessa Russell’s (Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Kōtirani), exploration of biopolymers derives from her wanting to create better versions of the materials she is often questioning within her works. Inspired by the innovative and mindful ways Māori have always created, using natural resources that can be returned to te taiao, Tessa creates her own recipe for what she calls kirihou Māori.