Featured project
Ines Tartler (GER) in Auckland, New Zealand
Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service 2009

Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service 2009 is a public art project by Ines Tartler (GER) which took place in Auckland, New Zealand in May 2009. Berlin-based Tartler presented the project with the aid of a team of Golden Garage Service Attendants especially recruited for the project. During the project members of the public were invited to host a golden car cover on their car while they parked in the public car park at Britomart, in Auckland’s CBD.

The Auto Garage project took place over 11 days; was open to the public for 88 hours; involved the artists, curator and a team of 7 Attendants; resulted in the direct participation of 88 members of the public (many accompanied by their friends and family); and was experienced online by more than 4,000 viewers.

The Auckland project utilised 3 Auto Garages (golden car covers) from a limited edition of 7 Auto Garages. The project was commissioned by Britomart Arts Foundation (Auckland) and curated by Rob Garett. The Auckland work further developed previous Auto Garage projects by the artist in Berlin, Germany (2004) and Middlesbrough, UK (2005) with the addition of its unique public participation aspect in which car park patrons were offered the opportunity to “host” the Golden Garage art works on their cars.

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Featured project
The Whisper Lands: Joanna Langford at Auckland Art Fair 2009
Commissioned and curated by Rob Garrett

Joanna Langford was invited to create a new installation – The Whisper Lands – for the 2009 Auckland Art Fair because of her knack at creating sculptures with uplift: towering plastic clouds, improbably delicate ladders to nowhere, stilted houses, pink mountains, and candy and cookie castles. Langford is an architect of the imaginary, conjuring fantastical worlds and sugar highs.

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Featured project
Bare Rock & Backbones 2008-09
Takutai Square, Britomart, Auckland

In 1840, there was sea water at Britomart. Waka (canoes) were launched from tidal mudflats, and a prominent headland stretched out into the harbour near the site of this painting exhibition by selected emerging artists. There was a Maori pa (fort) on the headland. A colonial military fort was then built, which later became an orphanage, before being torn down as the headland itself was demolished to fill in the bay. Auckland’s first colonial settlers arrived here; and from the shore they surveyed their new home, and planned new lives and a new city. We invited four emerging artists to find something that was of interest to them in the stories of Britomart’s early history, and asked them each to make a new artwork.

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Featured project
Aleksandra Petrovic, In Dark Corners 2008-09
Stanbeth House Gallery, Britomart, Auckland

As part of the Bare Rock and Backbones exhibition on at Britomart, Stanbeth House Gallery is displaying work from the involved artists in the gallery window. Currently showing are sculptures and drawings by emerging artist Aleksandra Petrovic, under the title In Dark Corners

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Featured project
NZ Sculpture OnShore Exhibition 2008 (November 7-16)
Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve, Devonport, North Shore City
Curated by Rob Garrett

NZ Sculpture OnShore is a biennial exhibition of the work of New Zealand artists suitable for display outdoors. Since its inception in 1995 the exhibition has become a major event in North Shore City and one of New Zealand’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibitions.

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Featured project
New artwork puts heritage in the spotlight at Britomart
Lux Flux by John Radford

The importance for Auckland of preserving its historic buildings is creatively highlighted in a new light-based installation artwork by John Radford in the Britomart development precinct (Auckland, New Zealand).

Lux Flux consists of 200 small, clear LED lights and incandescent bulbs…

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