Space stark but not naked

What was the sleazier end of Karangahape Rd is becoming, dare we say it, cleaned up and respectable. Take 510 K Rd. For many years it housed the notorious Pink Pussy Cat Club, its signs outside boasting "Stark Naked ... Nothing Hidden."

This week it has become home to Starkwhite, the gallery owned by John McCormack and Dominic Feuchs, which has moved from Shortland St to the former strip club's renovated premises.

With two floors of white elegant space, Starkwhite is large enough to perform dual duties as both a public and dealer gallery. The ground floor will be occupied predominantly with the public gallery roster, and is base to The Billy Apple Art Circuit, a project which will run alongside AK05 and will see Apple's vintage motorbikes and cars rumbling from gallery to gallery in the central city.

Upstairs, a number of immaculately restored rooms (previous use aside) house a smart collection of contemporary art, including et al, Luise Fong, Warwick Freeman, Jae Hoon Lee, Peter Peryer, Ann Shelton and Peter Stichbury. It's a welcome addition to K Rd's growing precinct of galleries, including Ivan Anthony and Artspace.