Reels, knights and other tomorrows. Edwards and Johann. 23 August – 02 November. Christchurch Art Gallery.   Encountering Reels, knights and other tomorrows by Edwards and Johann at the Christchurch Art Gallery asks more questions than it answers. These questions aren’t inquisitive, but have become stale and recursive.  It is a show which is both accessible and features Christchurch based artists, but lacks any critical integrity and cohesive curation. The exhibition consists of a series of brightly coloured sculptural works made from rubble from a former church’s organ. This rubble sits as a constellation atop a metal poll. In each room is a series of  wall works; a sound work made in collaboration with Seth Edwards Ellis permeates softly and often un-noticeably through the space. Upon entering we were taken aback by the cold and austere reception by gallery staff, the inconsistent nature of the lightning and the insensitive use of materials, which inherently harbours a sense of place and memory. The first room of works was incredibly dark and had three sculptures and a wall …

Tau Tupua: The Spirits. Rob George, Toa Taiha, Vela Manusuate. 25th July – 30th August. Fresh Gallery Otara.   The exhibition Tau Tupua: The Spirits featured the work of Robert George, Toa Taiha and Vela Manusuate. When I first heard about this exhibition from a colleague I decided instantly that it was one I had to see. Unlike many contemporary exhibitions where the conceptual framing of the show can be read in a very broad way, this show had a specific focus.In 1915 during the first world war 150 Niuean men joined the New Zealand’s Maori contingent to serve in Egypt and France.”Tau Tupua: The Spirits honors war sacrifice of Niuean leaders, growers and fisherman”. The first work you see when entering the gallery is Spades (2014) By Toa Taihia. Shovels sit stoically on plinths at different heights and have been sanded down to create traditional Polynesian patterns along the plane of the objects. The transformation of the shovel is both striking in its beauty and symbolic of the Niuean soldiers role in Egypt which …

Au. Murray Eskdale and Tara Douglas (with Ben Webb). 5th September – 18th September. Mint Gallery.   Au is a selection of new photographic works by Murray Eskdale and Tara Douglas. Both are Dunedin based artists who have presented their individual bodies of work on opposite sides of the gallery in a very conventional and accessible manner. A photographic installation by Webb exists in between these works on the floor. Although consistently overlooked, one felt most drawn to this work. Eskdale presented a highly cohesive series of urban landscapes taken in Shanghai. These works were inherently reflective, both in subject matter and the clever way in which these works occupied the space. This is not merely in terms of interaction with these works within the gallery, but also the space outside the gallery; the surrounding environment. Offering a documentarian approach to an unfamiliar space and a mediation perhaps upon globalisation, these images lacked a nuanced socio-cultural understanding of both site and photography. Pertinent, as photography is embedded with what it reveals, something inherently ‘cultural’. Witnessing Douglas …