Antimatter – the word itself may evoke fantastical images of off-planet, other worldly, quantum objects, travelling through space at unfathomable speeds and distances.
However this was not the case @ The Antimatter exhibition @ The Incubator, which had it’s opening last Friday. The art on display was the exact opposite actually, where artists used forgotten terrestrial junk, and reimagined it as beautiful pieces of art, some of which carried environmental messages, some carried philosophical ones. All of the pieces however created a beautiful aesthetic whole.
In the midst of the whole slew of recent initiatives, to do with sustainability and environment, such as the envirofest, The Nashi festival, the TPPA protests along with a few others, this exhibition is a nice icing on that cake.
The opening, like every other opening I have been to at the incubator was a relaxed, classy event, attended by many, including a lot of the artists that had pieces up there. There were a whole variety of nibbles and munchies as well as refreshments that were available. Along with some awesome conversations I had about art and other things with the people that were present.
The highlight of the evening though ofcourse was all the beautiful pieces of artwork, each unique in their own way,
Here are some of my personal favourites…
THE UNWANTED FOUND OBJECTS FOLK
A piece by Suzanne Smith
A family of recycled creations which were made from a range of tools once owned by her father … these dolls reminded me of toys that one may find, in the room of a steampunk era child. The detail in these dolls was amazing, and really took a closer look to see the work that had gone into it.
MAJESTIC METAL
A piece by Harley Moore.
It was one of the larger pieces, created from scrap aluminium. And stood in the middle of the exhibition. It definitely stood out to me, as it made me think of ‘stagnant’ life, which had been captured in form. And the strange lighting and weird reflections it gave off, even though the majestic deer had no eyes…there was still something ‘alive’ about it.
O ROMEO, O ROMEO! WHERE FORE ART THOUGH ROMEO?
A piece by Karen Francis Lawson
Created using teabags, a 1893 Romeo and Juliet playbook, a music sheet and page from the Coronation book of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Duchess of York), skeleton leaves from Yatton Park and crochet cotton …
This piece stood out to me because of the sheer collage of the elements that were involved, it seemed to me like a rusted victorian-era windchime, trying to hang on it’s past glory.
ZOMBIE GIRL
A piece by Vanessa Locke
Made from recycled gib, crushed bones, old paint and recycled human … Not exactly sure why this one was so striking. Perhaps it had to do with the colours, or the way that the image was textured on the canvas.
BEAST OF BURDEN
A piece by Jannine Bishop
Crafted using wire, hessian, caution tape and leather with a vintage breathing filter apparatus… This one was one of the more simple pieces, but its message was strong, and the symbolism was well placed, taking on the theme of what we eat, complete with the gas mask, to highlight the practices of meat factories.
These are only a few of the pieces on display…the exhibition is still going on for another week. So get down to The Incubator and check it out, and see what local artists have created from Antimatter!
By
Dhaivat Mehta
(Editor, ARTbop Alternative)
Dhaivat Mehta is a film-maker and performance poet, and a member of the Tauranga Writers…Involved with many aspects of local creativity! As an organizer he was responsible for last year’s National Poetry Day event “Caught In The Act” He also raps and does spoken word under the stage name Archaeo
All photo credits go to:
Baz Mantis: http://bazmantis.com/
Baz Mantis is a Tauranga based photographer, recording artist and film maker who has been the chief photographer for ARTbop Alternative since 2014. Alongside his passion for experimenting with visual imagery in multiple genres, he is also a musician and has released an album and several music videos as The D-Day Saints, which features 7 guest vocalists from around the North Island. In between photographic assignments, Mantis is busy writing and recording new material for the Saints as well as crafting the sequel to his 2012 underground cult horror/comedy film Chair Evil, and he has a website @ www.bazmantis.com
