NZ Art Monthly

Laurence Aberhart Exhibition, Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui until June 7

Laurence Aberhart has been at the forefront of New Zealand photography since the late 1970s, and is increasingly recognised as a major international figure. Having toured throughout New Zealand the landmark exhibition Laurence Aberhart opens at its final venue, the Sarjeant Gallery on March 13.

Dargaville (Mt. Wesley Cemetery), Northland, 17 April 2003.
Courtesy of the artist.

City Gallery Wellington senior curator Gregory O'Brien, worked closely with the photographer and Justin Paton (from Dunedin Public Art Gallery), to bring together fourteen thematic clusters of work, which together form a sustained meditation on knowledge, history, faith and culture in the most comprehensive overview of Laurence Aberhart's work to date

Aberhart's photographs of church interiors, marae, monuments and Masonic Lodges are not only an essential part of the nation's visual art; they offer a journey through the heart and soul of New Zealand. His subjects appear illuminated from within. "Aberhart's images are bathed in the light of photographic history, as well as that of the world around. In his exquisite prints, photography reclaims a magic often lost in the digital age," curator Gregory O'Brien says.

Aberhart was the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at Tylee Cottage in Wanganui in 1986 and the Sarjeant Gallery has a significant holding of his work in its collection.

This pre-eminent retrospective is accompanied by ABERHART, a lavish, definitive book from Victoria University Press, with 235 full-page reproductions.

Biography:
Laurence Aberhart was born in Nelson in 1949, and since 1983 has lived and worked in Russell, Bay of Islands. He is increasingly recognised as an important international figure. His photographs have been exhibited widely in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. A solo exhibition was held at the Stedelijik Museum Amsterdam in 2002, alongside Colin McCahon: A Question of Faith. A survey of his work was shown at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia, in 2005.

Laurence Aberhart was conceptually developed by City Gallery Wellington in association with Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

Sarjeant Gallery Open hours: 10.30 am to 4.30pm Monday to Sunday. Admission free