Hastings Art Gallery column: Last chance to see a painted environment especially for Hastings

Artist Jade Townsend covers the walls of the Hastings Art Gallery with exhibition He Whare Ataahua. Photo / Thomas Teutenberg

OPINION

April 14 will be the last day to see He Whare Ātaahua, an exhibition by artist Jade Townsend (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Pākehā, British) at Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery.

The exhibition title, meaning “a beautiful house”, speaks to the artist’s interest in layering different cultural ideas of aesthetic beauty and finding meaning within our environment.

Alongside the exhibition are free and fun activities for whānau to enjoy.

This is the first time Townsend, who is currently living in Whanganui, has exhibited in Heretaunga Hastings, and it is also the first time she has worked site-specifically.

He Whare Ataahua exhibition by artist Jade Townsend at Hastings Art Gallery. Photo / Thomas Teutenberg

While the exhibition includes a group of paintings on stretched linen, Townsend has also turned the entire gallery into a painted environment.

For more than two weeks, she worked on site at Hastings Art Gallery to create intricate wall paintings of large shells strung around the gallery like a huge bracelet, these shells represent facets of Townsend’s own whakapapa and connections to Heretaunga Hastings.

The exhibition draws inspiration from very different sources, including the ceiling panels of the wharekai at Te Aute College painted by John Hovell and his students, and an 1882 lecture by the author Oscar Wilde called The House Beautiful, which talks about the importance of our daily surroundings.

Last chance to check out the He Whare Ataahua exhibition by artist Jade Townsend at Hastings Art Gallery. Photo / Thomas Teutenberg

Townsend’s wall paintings acknowledge Hovell’s style and imagery yet are also influenced by the work of her father, who worked as a signwriter in Hastings, and her Scouse heritage.

Our visitors have enjoyed experiencing these paintings but they are temporary and will only exist for another few weeks, so make sure you don’t miss this exhibition.

Entry is free and tamaraki (or adults) can get busy at the gallery’s interactive table any time during the gallery’s opening hours and make their very own beautiful shell.

Hastings Art Gallery is open 10am-4.30pm weekdays, 10am-4pm Saturdays and 1-4pm Sundays. For more information, please go to www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz.