Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Gordon Walters at Art Basel Hong Kong


Today we are installing our Gordon Walters exhibition in the Galleries section of Art Basel Hong Kong.

Walters is best known for his paintings employing the koru, the curving bulb form from Maori moko and kowhaiwhai rafter patterns. He Mondrian-ised the koru, straightening and regimenting its scroll-like forms, taking it from organic to strictly geometric. Our presentation at the fair includes koru paintings produced between 1956 and 1983, along with Chrysanthemum (1944) which is considered to be one of his most important early works.

Walters is a revered figure in New Zealand, recognised for a long and productive career spanning four decades. However, aside from Australia where his work has been seen in Headlands: thinking through New Zealand Art at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (1992) and the 5th Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (2006-2007), Walters’ work has not found its way onto the international stage. This provides an opportunity for Starkwhite, in partnership with the Walters Estate, to stage a solo exhibition of his paintings at one of the world’s great art fairs where it will be seen by international curators, exhibition makers and influential collectors -  a step towards granting Walters the international recognition he so richly deserves. 

Our Gordon Walters exhibition at Art Basel Hong Kong is presented with the support of Creative New Zealand.
Image: Gordon Walters, Untitled, oil and acrylic on canvas, 1520 x1220mm, courtesy of the Walters Estate