track and trace: a selection of work by Ilam SoFA staff

What happens to artists’ proofs and archives? In this glimpse into the secret world of art creation, Ilam School of Fine Arts lecturers at University of canterbury (UC) share their highly individual art practice in this first exhibition for 2020, at the Ilam campus gallery.

track and trace opens at 5pm on Thursday 27 February and runs till 20 March. The re-evaluation and rematerialization of works by artists and lecturers Louise Palmer, Tim Veling, Robin Neate and John Chrisstoffels provides an opportunity to consider how artworks can shift over time in how they operate, can be experienced and what they say to contemporary audiences - the old and new may not be as different from one another as we have been led to believe. 

Head of Fine Arts Aaron Kreisler is delighted to launch the new decade with an exhibition that shines a light on the work of those charged with inspiring the next generation of artists. “It is great to start the academic year with a rich collection of works by a group of staff that provides some insights into their research interests and also a chance to speculate about how artists often work in longitudinal rather than in short-term ways,” he says. 

Ilam campus gallery exhibitions are open to the community and Kreisler encourages art enthusiasts to come in and enjoy the works. “I think that this series will offer our students, peers and community an opportunity to reflect on what is happening in our teaching programmes and raise pertinent questions about the dynamics between what happens in class and the broader art world. 

“As a School we find ways to connect with our community in meaningful ways and an exhibition such as track and trace is a significant way of doing this. I am really looking forward to the discourse that it generates, and to future iterations of these shows that demonstrate what our other colleagues are thinking about and generating through their practice.”

ENDS