a gallery

loosely based on a series of events that never actually happened REVIEW by Franky Strachan printed in the ODT 16/2/12

a gallery dunedin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:07:13 +0000

A Gallery currently evokes a high school classroom, complete with vandalised furniture.Artist and gallery director Jay Hutchinson has placed scholastic props to contextualise his latest printed and intricately embroidered creations.By screen-printing on to silk and cotton, Hutchinson has produced imitation school books, discarded paperwork, fast-food wrappers, photos, and even the contents of a classroom rubbish bin.He has then embroidered ostensibly personal – but in fact universally familiar – signs of teenage anguish and temporality on to them: antagonistic graffiti “carelessly strewn” (carefully hand-stitched) throughout the printed books and pages. The exhibition is particularly unusual in two respects. First, interaction is encouraged, defying the sober “no touching” gallery tradition.Hutchinson mindfully suggests that any depreciation of the textiles which will inevitably arise through handling will only add to the authenticity of the work.The character of the exhibition is thus peculiar to individuals as they create meaning from their own, exclusive experience with the work; it is interesting to note one’s comfort levels when it comes to physically handling fine art. Second, the presence of embroidery in contemporary works of art is a rarity.The time spent on stitching these composite pieces is phenomenal, and this (deliberately) serves to enhance the artist’s remarkable communication of forced tedium, convention’s limitations, and sequentially, indignant objection.

Photographs by Eddie Stevens from last years Yallop & Smith Memorial Exhibition 30/10/11

a gallery dunedin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:50:30 +0000

loosely based on a series of events that never actually happened OPENING photos 9/2/12

a gallery dunedin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:11:04 +0000

loosely based on a series of events that never actually happened 9/2/12

a gallery dunedin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:55:50 +0000

TRANSFORMED review by James Dignan Printed in the ODT 19/1/12

a gallery dunedin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:50:33 +0000

The title of Benjamin King’s exhibition at A Gallery carries multiple layers of meaning. On the purely prosaic level, “Transformed” refers to the recycled material used by the artist for his art. The title also refers more spiritually to the biblical themes touched on in the exhibition, and the eternal conflict between the soul and the flesh. Transformation is also key to the artist’s inspiration – a specific biblical passage in which Jacob wrestles with a mysterious figure, after which his name was changed to Israel. On a more playful level, the title has further meaning – the science-fictional figures which the artist has created are strongly reminiscent of the “Transformer” toys which convert from one form to another. In King’s works, two giant figures stand opposed ready to lock together in battle. The wooden figures are luridly coloured steampunk robots whose forms were inspired by an old tabletop wrestling game, and they have been well crafted with humour and attention to detail. A third sculpture hangs on a wall nearby. Created from card coated in sand, it shows a meticulous aerial fly-by of Jerusalem, yet in the company of the two robots it appears almost as a science-fictional space battle-cruiser. Again, the attention to detail makes this a very attractive work.

Benjamin King TRANSFORMED Opening Photos 5/1/12

a gallery dunedin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:23:31 +0000

BENJAMIN KING Transformed OPENING 5:30pm 5/1/12

a gallery dunedin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:25:01 +0000

NO EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP grand opening photos 10/12/11

a gallery dunedin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:18:58 +0000

NO EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

a gallery dunedin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:54:23 +0000

NO EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

a gallery dunedin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:44:58 +0000

a gallery presents NO EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP featuring latest season jewelry from UNDERGROUND SUNDAE (Annemieke Ytsma), Jess Kitto and Sharon Singer. Clothing and accessories by, T R FRANC (Tara Young and Molly Francesca Barrington), TRASH SKATES (Sam Robertson) and Vandal Apparel (Jay Hutchinson) Record Sleeves by Mr Sam Ovens and more to come…Exploit Christmas…it is the season….happy holidays from a gallery

Extended hours 12:00 to 6:00pm Friday and Saturday. OPENING Saturday 10^th of December from 12:00 Drinks and Guest DJ’s from 5:00pm…

Closes on the 1^st of January 1012