Gisborne's Paul Nache gallery exhibits at the biennial Auckland Art Fair.
THE first time Gisborne gallery Paul Nache exhibited at the biennial Auckland Art Fair it did so with a show entitled '3 artists in 3 days'. The next time with an installation called 'Proud to commit commercial suicide'. Evidently [that] failed as, two years later, it was back with Las Vegas-based artist Matthew Couper giving live painting demonstrations — dressed in an ape suit. And this year it’s going back again, joining the Art Fair as it returns after a three-year hiatus.
Auckland Art Fair is regarded as New Zealand’s international showcase for contemporary art and, in an effort to build on that, decided to defer its scheduled 2015 event to secure a better position on the international arts calendar.
The decision was made after mega-fair Art Basel Hong Kong last year announced it would move to new dates, switching from May to March.
And that proved to be good news for Paul Nache, meaning it could this year show at both the Art Basel-associated Art Central event, in Hong Kong, and this year’s Auckland Art Fair.
For this year’s Auckland event, Paul Nache director Matt Nache has chosen to exhibit painters Evan Woodruffe (based in Auckland) and Scott Gardiner (now living in Australia), and sculptor Glen Hayward (Whanganui).
Fair co-director Stephanie Post says the selection process for 2016 was highly competitive, galleries chosen on the merit of their proposals by an independent selection committee comprising of gallery director Michael Lett, Auckland patron Dayle Mayce, Justin Paton (currently head of international art at Sydney’s Art Gallery Of New South Wales), Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre director Simon Rees, and arts commentator Hamish Keith.
“So we are thrilled to have Paul Nache on board,” she says.
“The gallery is a ground-breaking force on the New Zealand art scene and we are eager to see what they and their featured artists will surprise us with.”
- The 2016 Auckland Art Fair is on at The Cloud (Queen’s Wharf) on May 25-29.
ARTS by Kristine Walsh, The Gisborne Herald