Traveling Dina - Explore. Dream. Discover.

My Air New Zealand flight back to San Francisco didn’t leave till the late afternoon, so I wanted to get in at least a little bit of tourist fun in Christchurch before I left.  I stopped into a ceramics gallery (where manyof the pieces on display were also for sale.)  Nothing particularly stood out — it felt more like a shop than a gallery — until I went into the second room, which had on display the works of maybe two dozen ceramic artists, all on the theme of “Tea Service.”

This was a pretty fascinating exhibit, exploring the intersection of form and usability, with pieces on both extremes, as well as in the middle.  All of the services had a pot and cups, but the presentations were all unique — a bird-themed tea service, a classic porceline-style pot, a pot and cups made entirely of mesh. It was a great exhibit.

Next I went to the Christchurch Art Gallery (”Te Puna O Waiwhetu”), which is totally free! It’s in a gorgeous, modern, open metal and glass building.  I’m not sure how the museum is supported, but patrons are asked to leave a donation in the box on the way out — quite an anonymous way of contributing, as opposed to the “Free” museums in NYC which have a “donation” of $20 that you have to pay at the counter to get in…

I was particularly excited to see the exhibit of Maori weaving — the “Ngai Tahu” weavers — which had previously been on display in DC and, ironically, San Francisco.  There were amazing woven baskets, made from a form of New Zealand flzx and other native, natural fibers.  Several utilized synthetic dyes and other more modern materials such as wire.  There was even a woven backpack! There were baskets made of copper wire, paua shell
and feathers, of limited usefulness but fantastic works of art.  I was blown away by the complex patterns in the baskets; they were all truly gorgeous and inspriing.

There were also quite a few impressive cloaks and capes.  They were highly ornate, with a base of flax, decorated with multi-hued feathers, leaes, shells and hanging threads.  The women weavers would strip the flax themselves with knives made of shells, then prep the fiber by rolling it against their legs. The less traditional ones had colored fibers hanging vertically, in the “grass-skirt” style; they were fabulous, too.

There were also weavings by young, contemporary artists, art-school trained,using traditional techniqes and modern fibers.  One piece involved weavings around colored dowels and my heart broke with longing — I want to know how to do this!  Some of the other materials used were plexiglass, copper and feathers made into a checkerboard square; something made with fishing line and a UV panel; and a video displaying patterns.  This last one I found the least impressive — I’m simply not captivated by digital media as art the way I am by the most traditional forms.

In complete contrast to the Maori Weaving exhibit were some of the other exhibits at the gallery.  “Reboot” was a modern exhibit using found objects, dime-store trinkets and every-day items relabeled as art because of the context.  this is the stuff I don’t quite understand and feel unable to appreciate.  It seems more ‘camp” than “art” to me, things that might be more at home somewhere out on the Playa at Burning Man.  (A lamp blinking on and off, a replica of a light-switch, a bedsheet hanging on a wall, a giant inflatable bunny, a crude wooden boat painted white, for example…)

I did, however, like a few of the items in the contemporary gallery.  There was a set of crocheted pigs made with different materials (crochet!) that I liked (of course!) and a GIANT cow made entirely out of flattened corned beef tins which was quite impressive.

There was a fantastic, interactive children’s gallery, with “clues” and games to play with the art, including puzzles, a slidey board, and magnets in triangular shapes to make your own minimalist art.  The kids all definitely seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Definitely a worthwhile visit!