Rebecca Thomson, til 27Oct, Auckland

Rebecca Thomson has some exciting new work
as part of a joint exhibition with Stafford Allpress called Keep,
at Seed Gallery in Newmarket, Auckland.
The exhibition is on now, and runs until 27 October.


Rebecca Thomson, Pale Grey II, 2012
unique mixed media print on archival cellophane bag & paper, cotton
19x36cm

 

In today’s culture of consumption and disposal,

Rebecca Thomson's delicate prints and assemblages 

work to preserve and respect the commonplace.

"Thomson’s works respond to discoveries in local thrift shops, as well as the shops themselves.

Central to the works are the notions of ‘keeping’, ‘noticing’ and ‘preserving’.

References are made to shop displays in the use of packets, bags, labels and stickers;

and moreover in the ways in which the works are constructed and displayed.

The original object and its image are often hard to separate

as Thomson generates a convincing trompe l’oeil effect

by printing replicas of fabric and lace remnants on the interior of polythene bags.

These translucent prints are then paired with header cards and further backing prints,

each stage in the selection mirroring the activity and decision making involved

in preparing such merchandise for display.

Rebecca Thomson, Beige Brown I, 2012
unique mixed media print on archival cellophane bag & paper, cotton
19x36cm

Though deliberately chosen for their mundane qualities,

the items Allpress and Thomson choose to represent are not neutral objects,

but poignant records of the lives of their owners

and the many hands they have passed through on their way to the artist,

and as such, hold a surprising emotional charge.

They evoke memory and are given a new value and weight

while still acknowledging their past incarnations, often down to surviving final disposal."

Perhaps pop in to see them this weekend,

or if you're not in Auckland then you can see more works from Keep 
on Seed Gallery's website.