The exhibition “Certainly Very Merry” takes its title from the answer given by cult 1970s television chefs Peter Hudson and David Halls to an interviewer’s point-blank question “Are you gay?”
Hudson and Halls’ unique brand of camp, slapstick, booze-soaked humour and questionable cooking beamed into New Zealand’s living rooms at a time when homophobia was rampant and homosexuality was illegal. The 1969 Stonewall Riots were still recent, the passing of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill would not occur until 1986 … and Hudson and Halls were in the closet with the door wide open.
Pride Festivals all over the world – including ours in Auckland – are celebrations of the distance our communities have come in terms of our diversity and creativity as well as our cultural and political power.
“Certainly Very Merry” is a creative, diverse, joyful cross-section of work by GLBT visual artists practising in Aotearoa New Zealand today.
CHIARA CORBELLETTO courtesy Bath Street Gallery
RUSS FLATT
TANU GAGO
GEORGE HAJIAN
GAVIN HURLEY courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
LONNIE HUTCHINSON courtesy Bartley&Company Art
CRUZ JIMENEZ courtesy Sanderson Gallery
RICHARD MALOY courtesy Starkwhite
JUDY MILLAR courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
TOMISLAV NIKOLIC courtesy Fox/Jensen
SHANNON NOVAK courtesy Trish Clark Gallery
RICHARD ORJIS courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
REUBEN PATERSON courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
GUI TACCETTI
IMOGEN TAYLOR courtesy Michael Lett
JACK TROLOVE courtesy Whitespace Gallery
Photography: Kallan MacLeod
Certainly Very Merry - Pride Festival Group Show
February 2016
Installation View
Russ Flatt
Swimming Pool #3
2013
inkjet photograph on Hahnemuühle Photo Rag
730mm H x 910mm W
Edition 3 + 1 AP
JUDY MILLAR
Same Old Paradise
2016
acrylic and oil on canvas
1400mm H x 950mm W
Courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
GAVIN HURLEY
Boy with Elliot Collins Beard
2015-16
paper collage and thread
380mm H x 280mm W
Courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
GAVIN HURLEY
Grey Beard
2015-16
paper collage and thread
380mm H x 280mm W
Courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
GAVIN HURLEY
Grey Hair / Rainmo
2015-16
paper collage and thread
380mm H x 280mm W
Courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
GAVIN HURLEY
Dirty Pink Beard
2015-16
paper collage and thread
380mm H x 280mm W
Courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
GAVIN HURLEY
Brown Hair / Rainmo
2015-16
paper collage and thread
380mm H x 280mm W
Courtesy Melanie Roger Gallery
SHANNON NOVAK
Augmented Chord Progression II
2012
acrylic on canvas
1215mm H x 1215mm W
Courtesy Trish Clark Gallery
REUBEN PATERSON
Geometry of Man
2012
glitterdust on canvas
1050mm H x 1050mm W
Courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
Russ Flatt
Half a Person
2015
inkjet photograph on Hahnemühle photo rag
1016mm H x 1016mm W
EDITION SOLD OUT
GEORGE HAJIAN
Get Me Hard
2016
found paper, reflective fluoro vinyl, dissection nickel-plated T-pins
480mm H x 405mm W (frame)
Courtesy of the Artist
GEORGE HAJIAN
The Library
2016
found paper, reflective fluoro vinyl, dissection nickel plated T pins
480mm H x 405mm W (frame)
Courtesy of the Artist
GEORGE HAJIAN
Taintasmic
2016
found paper, reflective fluoro vinyl, dissection nickel-plated T-pins
480mm H x 405mm W
Courtesy of the Artist
GEORGE HAJIAN
Tough Sub
2016
found paper, reflective fluoro vinyl, dissection nickel-plated T-pins
480mm H x 405mm W (frame)
WALLACE ARTS TRUST COLLECTION
IMOGEN TAYLOR
Empty & Meaningless
2014
acrylic on hessian
1600mm H x 300mm W
Courtesy Michael Lett
IMOGEN TAYLOR
Jug by the Sea
2015
oil on hessian
637mm H x 537mm W (frame)
COURTESY MICHAEL LETT
TOMISLAV NIKOLIC
My essence is my offence
2014-15
acrylic, marble dust, 18ct green gold leaf on linen and wood
475mm H x 420mm W x 100mm D
Courtesy Fox/Jensen Gallery
JACK TROLOVE
Slipping Skins
2015
oil on canvas
500mm H x 400mm W
Courtesy Whitespace Gallery
REUBEN PATERSON
Tapping the Window Pane
2009
glitterdust on canvas
1215mm H x 910mm W
Courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
LONNIE HUTCHINSON
25 Ladies
2012
Builder's paper, metal eyelets, steel pins
Dimensions variable
Edition: 3
GUI TACCETTI
Red Light - Dolls One
2016
inkjet photograph on Ilford Galerie Gold
1000mm H x 750mm W
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
GUI TACCETTI AND RICHARD ORJIS
Jahra
2015
digital video, 1:51 minutes
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
Courtesy of the Artists
Russ Flatt
Untitled 3
2014
inkjet photograph on Hahnemühle photo rag
600mm H x 1025mm W (frame)
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
Russ Flatt
Girl #2
2013
inkjet photograph on Hahnemühle photo rag
1820mm H x 910mm W
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
CRUZ JIMENEZ
Untitled III
2014
mixed media on paper
1120mm H x 820mm W
Courtesy Sanderson Contemporary
CRUZ JIMENEZ
Rosebud
2016
mixed media on paper
605mm H x 450mm W (frame)
Courtesy Sanderson Contemporary
TANU GAGO
Leo
Series - Jerry the Fa'afafine 2010
Digital print / Archival Crystal Matte
594mm H x 841mm W (A1)
Edition: 5/5
TANU GAGO
Pati
Series - Avanoa o Tama 2012
Digital Print / Archival Crystal Matte
594mm H x 841mm W (A1)
Edition: 2/5
TANU GAGO
Cody & Joel
Series - Avanoa o Tama 2012
Digital Print / Archival Crystal Matte
594mm H x 841mm W (A1)
Edition: 2/5
TANU GAGO
Smoko
Series - Feau o Fafine 2014
Digital Print / Archival Crystal Matte
594mm H x 841mm W (A1)
Edition: 1/5
CHIARA COBELLETTO
Delta 7
2009
metal, fibreglass, automotive coating
530mm H x 930mm W x 560mm D
Courtesy Bath Street Gallery
RICHARD MALOY
Gladioli Composition 6
2000
digital photograph
600mm H x 750mm W
Edition: 3/3
GEORGE HAJIAN
1/9
2015
found paper, dissection nickel-plated T-pins
480mm H x 405mm W (frame)
Courtesy of the Artist
GEORGE HAJIAN
Big Cigar
2015
found paper, dissection nickel-plated T-pins
480mm H x 405mm W (frame)
Courtesy of the Artist
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View
Certainly Very Merry
February 2016
Installation View