Matt Allport: has his inaugural exhibition at The Incubator, Historic Village, Tauranga on 4th December 2015. ARTbop received this promotional piece from The Incubator. We thought we should share it with you in Stuff to Say. While you’re at it take a look at Matt Allport’s Q & A intereview with ARTbop’s Dhaivat Mehta.
“.A BIT OF A BLOG! Happy December everyone! Leah here. I’m a local girl who loves Tauranga, and the arts …and Christmas. Yes, I’ll admit it, I am one of those people who get a dopamine hit when they walk into a decorated shop and hear Marian on the radio. It takes me back to the simpler times of toys, imagination and making “gifts” out of paper, pipe cleaners and pretty stuff.
Speaking of pretty stuff, recently I had the privilege of blogging for the Tauranga Arts Festival, where I over-indulged in music, dance and drama. I also viewed some incredible exhibitions by local visual artists, including The Incubator’s fantastical House of Cards. I have to say that these guys have definitely reversed my disinterest in art exhibitions. And I have some good news for you – there’s more where that came from.
On the 4th of December, The Incubator will host Matt Allport’s inaugural exhibition “Caps Lock”. Matt is from the UK and he is a graduate of Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. He specialises in making worlds. Scenes of “little people doing little things”. His sculptures are created using recycled materials such as cans and bottles. Matt is also an avid gamer in his spare time and he clearly channels this passion in his day job. I was lucky enough to have a sneaky peak, and my general conclusion is that this exhibition is really cool. If you’re looking for an original stocking stuffer, Matt’s little people are the perfect thing. His studio actually reminded me of Santa’s workshop, with some slightly adult undertones and a hint of irony. He mentioned that Banksy, also from the UK, is one of his sources of artistic inspiration. That makes sense. I know it sounds cheesy but this exhibition really has something for everyone. My personal favourite was the rock band, of course, and I also fell in love with hillbilly banjo man. If you’re a gamer like Matt, you might like the reference to Game of Thrones. For the movie lovers among us, there are some little guys from Star Wars and if your sense of humour is a little different, there’s even a slightly inebriated individual. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll stop there. Make sure you bring the family down to The Incubator during December and check out this fun exhibition. You’ll love it. Leah Carroll – Blogger Girl”
