Just a reminder that there is still a week left if you want to see
the exhibition at Solander Gallery in Wellington featuring
the works of Jo Ogier and John Pusateri.
This exhibition finishes on 22 September, so if you're in Wellington go see it now.
Jo Ogier's prints, Lament, explore the loss of some of our unique birds
such as the Huia and the South Island Kokako
and looks at some of the reasons why many of our birds like the Kakapo
have been pushed to the brink of extinction,
and it also includes four works in response to the Canterbury earthquakes.
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Jo Ogier, The Kakapo's Lament, 2012
Woodcut, 43x96cm, edition of 26.
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| Jo Ogier, What Lies Beneath, 2012 Mixed media, 40x30cm, edition of 10 |
John Pusateri's works, titled Rabbit Destruction Council.
Rabbits were introduced to New Zealand in the 1860’s
and the first attempt to control their numbers was introduced in 1878.
In 1947 legislation established an eight member Rabbit Destruction Council
for the coordination of rabbit destruction.
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| John Pusateri, The Hunter II, 2012 lithograph, 57x71cm, edition of 5 |
The Rabbit Destruction Council holds my fascination with its quirky, matter of fact name,
adequately summing up New Zealand's attempt to do that.
The history is interesting with enormous amounts of money and energy spent
on the attempt to eradicate rabbits.
Even mustelids and cats were introduced to help control rabbit populations
with seemingly obvious negative implications.
The councillors of the Rabbit Destruction Council are imagined as Owls
because they're another "Natural enemy of the rabbit",
despite our Ruru, or Morepork, only occasionally scavenges on rabbit road kill.
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| John Pusateri, Councillor III, 2012 pencil, charcoal, pastel, archival digital print, 34x39cm, 1 of 1 (framed) |
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