Spy: Budding artist and model’s work stolen ahead of show

Art lovers Sally Ridge, Mika Cotton, Mclane and Astin Parore Supplied to Spy January 2021

Sally Ridge’s love of art has been embraced by her son, Astin Parore, who this week launched his first pop-up exhibition, putting on a great show, despite a courier van of art being stolen en route to the installation.

Parore, 17, son of former Blackcap Adam Parore, launched his first pop-up bricks and mortar exhibition from his website company, York Gallery NZ, at a space in Ponsonby Central this week.

The exhibition's main attraction is 20-year-old aspiring artist and law student Mika Cotton, whose works were a fantastic success. Cotton is the daughter of celebrated Kiwi artist Shane Cotton and younger sister of Victoria's Secret model Maia. A-Listers, family, friends and collectors bought up the striking pieces at the launch on Tuesday evening.

But the show hit a snag before the show when a NZ Post courier van was stolen which had six large canvasas worth more than $12,000 of Cotton's art inside.

A police spokesman told Spy the van was stolen from John St in Ponsonby on January 15 about 12.30pm.

The vehicle was located the following evening on the nearby Wharf Road.

"One of our forensic officers has examined the van and a large amount of parcels were located inside.

"Police contacted the van's owner to advise them of the van being located."

The show went on successfully with the 12 smaller works.

Good news came to the pair on Wednesday afternoon.

"NZ Post called yesterday to say they the police had recovered the van. Many of other people's parcels in the van were stolen but the art was perhaps too large to move with speed," Parore tells Spy.

"We are both very relieved and grateful to the police, who say the art will be dropped off to the gallery on Thursday afternoon and they can then take their place in the exhibition."

A spokesperson for NZ Post confirmed to Spy a courier van was stolen and later recovered. They are contacting customers who are affected.

Cotton and Parore have been friends since they were tots, now York Gallery represents Cotton and both are proud of their achievements with the pop-up.

It was during the first lockdown that Parore planned his own online art gallery business, York Gallery NZ. It also gave Cotton time out from her law studies to create and paint.

Growing up around his mother, an artist, designer and collector of investable pieces, rubbed off on Parore.

He decided to start his online gallery as an alternative pathway to connect with artists. It was a series of Sponti gnomes in their living room, that Parore first thought would make great online sales. He contacted the artist Ottmar Hörl in Germany and asked if he could bring in 20 of his gnomes and sell them on his gallery site. His determination and not being afraid to put himself out there has attracted an impressive array of curations on his site since.

Ridge insists she has only given him a little guidance and says her son goes for what he likes, building up collaborations with both local and international artists and designers in Germany, Croatia, Australia, and the yorkgallerynz.com website.

Cotton, who is also a model at 62 Management, says she is inspired by American art, in-particular Shepard Fairey, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Her works have outsold her expectations and will be on exhibition at Ponsonby Central until 5pm today and of course on the York website.

Parore plans to showcase another young local artist at another pop-up soon and will keep expanding the York website, but right now he says he has to prepare to go back for his last year of school.

The pair have certainly started turning heads in the art world and, with their creativity and business nous, a new young generation is emerging.

• Police have urged anyone with information in relation to the van theft to contact Police on 105, quoting file 210115/3580 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.