Art in New Zealand

October’s Art in America features a “Report from New Zealand” by Richard Kalina, examining New Zealand artists and their work as well as the art history and institutions of the country. The prestigious publication explores our art in the context of New Zealand focusing its search for cultural and economic identity less in the British Commonwealth and more on the Pacific edge and the corresponding shift that is beginning to be felt. The full survey features Colin McCahon, Gordon Walters, Rosalie Gascoigne, Sara Hughes, Max Gimblett, Lauren Lysaght, Judy Millar, Peter Peryer and Michael Parekowhai. “The future of art in New Zealand feels open-ended, animated by a strong sense of optimism. Far away from the art centers of North America and Europe, the country is also far from Australia. Its artists however, are well travelled, and the institutional support system is strong…New Zealand enjoys an undisputed place in the society of forward-thinking developed nations, and it sustains an artistic production very much in keeping with that position.”