Friday, July 26, 2013

Whakapapa intimate closing...

Whakapapa Exhibition
Intimate Closing Night
& Celebration...

On Wed 31st July
'Whakapapa' the exhibition
must come to a close...

However,
to celebrate this month long show,
we will be hosting a small,
intimate  'Closing' ceremony
from 6 - 7.30pm
in the City Library Gallery.

This will be a chance for the Curator
(and a few special guests) to thank
everyone that has been involved
in the creation & success of this exhibition...

There will be some giveaways,
prizes, maybe even a few random cartoons
 (maybe even some discounts
on some of the artworks for sale).

Come and help us all celebrate
in true Kiwi style!! ALL WELCOME!!

Photo: (c) Jenny Hodge 2013.

"Shadow Feet"
(from Aotearoa)
will also be entertaining us
on the Library Gallery piano
from 7 - 7.30pm...

Hope to see you there!!
Kia ora!!
Brent Harpur, Whakapapa Curator.

PS Please bring chocolate!!

"Every new beginning is
somebody else's end..."
('Closing Time' - Semisonic)







Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Special Whakapapa Events During July

 
Special Whakapapa Events
& Art Demonstrations at the City LIbrary
Throughout July... *
Virginia Kennard (Performance Artist/Choreographer)
"Chocolate Soup" with soundscapes by Emi Pogoni & Special Guests
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri (8/9/10/11/12) July, from 1 - 1.30pm.
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri (15/16/17/18/19) July, from 12.30 - 1pm.
 
 
 
Gisele Lupi (Bronze Caster, Jeweller, Sculptor)
4hr demonstration of Wax Casting
Friday 5th July from 12.30 - 4.30pm.
 
 
Karl Andrews (Painter)
Live Painting Demonstration
Tue 9th July from 10 - 11.45am & 2 - 4.30pm.
 
 
Clinton Bopp (Painter, Street Artist)
Mural painting on glass windows in Marjorca room
(this will also be available to view from outside in Flinders Lane)
Sat & Sun (6th, 7th, 13th & 14th July) from 12.30-3.30pm.
Also: Random acts of art creation inside/outside library
throughout the month of July.
 
Brent Harpur (Cartoonist/Educator/Curator)
Cartoon drawing workshop (for all ages) Tue 9th & 16th July from 3.30 - 5pm.
 
Scatter Joy (Doco by Amy Hoogenboom about Brent Harpur)
Projected in City Library Foyer (& on various plasma screens) throughtout July.
 
* All events & demonstrations are FREE
& will take place in the 1st floor Gallery area (unless stated otherwise).
All ages and abilities are welcome to attend.
 
Also, throughout the month of July,
the Whakapapa artists have ALL been given special permission
(by City of Melbourne) to busk in a street or laneway near you...
 
Be sure to keep an eye out for them & go and say hello!!!
 
Kia ora
 
For more info about the Whakapapa Exhibition...
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Media Release 1: Brent's Creative Kiwi Army





LEGALLY-BLIND CARTOONIST LEADS CREATIVE KIWI ARMY...

WHAKAPAPA is an art show that proves there's more to NZ than the All Blacks, Tolkien tourism and Flight of the Conchords...

BRENT HARPUR is a legally-blind, New Zealand born cartoonist, art teacher & entertainer. To celebrate his second year living & working in Melbourne, Brent is curating Whakapapa (pronounced faka papa), bringing together the culturally-diverse works of sixteen NZ artists. This will be the first time most of these artists have exhibited & performed their work in Australia.

NZ Art will be taking over the entire City Library in Flinders Lane, not just the usual first floor gallery space.

I'm thankful to the trusting librarians for allowing my creative Kiwi army to invade their walls, floors and shelves. They have no idea what they're in for”, says Brent.
There will be a wide range of art on show. Brent has been planning Whakapapa for two years, since he first arrived and called Melbourne home. Brent first visited (& fell in love with) Melbourne as a young art student, when in the early 90's he came to see a Vincent van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery.
On display in Brent's show will be every kind of art imaginable. From paintings, street art, jewellery (including rings, brooches & adornment art), sculpture, bronze-casting, photography, prints, cartoons/comic book art (including the work of a ten year old boy), performance art/dance & some very special indigenous Maori art.

There will be something for everyone - the work of these artists continues to surprise, challenge & delight me. I admire & love what they create back home and I want to share it with Melbourne.”

Whakapapa will open on Thursday, 4 July, from 5pm. As well as the usual art opening fare, there'll be a wide range of free entertainment, including music by Tash Sultana, The Weeping Willows, Since We Kissed, Rebekah Davis & Micha, a new dance work from Virginia Kennard, hooping by Casey Sol & poetry by Scottish-born John McKelvie.

Comedian and Darebin Greens Councillor Trent McCarthy will open the show at 6pm, and Brent will draw free caricatures throughout the evening. All welcome!

WHAKAPAPA: A Group Exhibition of Sixteen Kiwi Artists From Aotearoa (NZ), 4-29 July, City Library Gallery, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Opening: Thu 4th July, 5pm- 8pm.
 
For more info and interviews, please contact Brent Harpur, Curator:
Mob: +61 (0)450 768 210 Email: cartoonbrent@gmail.com
Blog: whakapapaexhibition.blogspot.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/whakapapaexhibition

TWO OF WHAKAPAPA'S FEATURED ARTISTS...

 
One of the sixteen artists is Clinton Bopp. Originally from Lower Hutt (near Wellington), Clinton has been living & working as a “street artist & muralist” in Los Angeles since the mid 90's. During the month long exhibition, he will be working in Melbourne, “painting on anything I can find, from recycled wood to discarded furniture, even footwear”.
 
He'll also paint a mural within the City Library building itself. This will be created on two windows in full view of (and overlooking) the cafes & bars in Flinders Lane below.
 
“It's not very often” says Brent “that you can view a mural from two different sides of a surface it's being created on. It'll be magical to watch it being painted from either inside the library or outside (looking up) from the busy streets and lane-ways.”

For more about Clinton & his City Library mural:
 
Another exciting (and very different) addition to the hand-picked line-up of visual art will be the very talented & versatile Virginia Kennard; a self-proclaimed “performance artist & choreographer”. At designated times (during library open hours throughout July), Virginia will be moving/dancing/improvising in the gallery space amongst the exhibition. She will interact with the environment & people in it. She has created a special piece (for her Melbourne performance debut) entitled: “Chocolate Soup”.
For more about Virginia:
 
 
Also showing during the Whakapapa season (4-31 July) will be the short film “Scatter Joy” (about Brent's work here in Melbourne as a legally blind cartoonist). This 28min. doco was directed by local (independent) film-maker Amy Hoogenboom during 2012. This will be its Premiere showing here in Melbourne.

For more about Scatter Joy:
 
 
 
BIG THANKS TO: Trent McCarthy (for revisiting the original press release and injecting a healthy dose of irreverence & cheekiness) and to Irene Alligiannis for the photo of Brent and the paua shell.


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

To view the artists' bios...

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL BLOG FOR
WHAKAPAPA, THE EXHIBITION.
 
To view the biographies of each of the sixteen artists taking part,
please click on 'May 2013' on the right hand side of the screen...
 
 
Click on a name & you will be taken to their page.
There you'll find out more about each 'Whakapapa'
artist & see some examples of their beautiful art...
 
Kia ora
 
For more info, please contact the Curator...


Sunday, June 2, 2013

hot off the press...

 
 

What you see above is the proof for the "official invitation"
that City of Melbourne and the City Library have produced for us
(& print as part of the venue hire)...
 
Thank you, Amanda!!
(For all your patience & hard work...)
 
They just went off to the printer, and we are very excited about
getting them back so we can start giving them to people...

 If you would like one,
please contact Brent Harpur (the Curator):
 
Kia ora !!
 


Whakapapa BIG opening lineup!!


Welcome to the official blog
for the exhibition...
 
"WHAKAPAPA"
(City Library, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne City)
 
We are very excited to announce that on
Thu 4th of July (from 5-8pm)...
 
...We will have a very special & BIG opening!!
 
When Whakapapa the exhibition opens on Thursday the 4th of July (at 5pm),
you'll be able to see 15 of New Zealand's top visual artists on display... But if you brave the Winter chills, you might also see some fabulous "local" entertainment... And you might even get some free wine and chocolate too!! Here's the (so far) confirmed special guests. There may be a few more surprises being organised
for opening night as well... Watch this space!
 
On the official bill for the night... *
 
From 5.30 - 6.00pm, we have
the wonderful Singer/Songwriter: Micha.
 
 
And officially opening 'Whakapapa'
from 6:05 - 6.15pm: Trent McCarthy.
(Stand-Up Comedian,
Greens Councillor for Darebin
& Senate Candidate)

From 6.25 - 6.30pm 'Bonafide Rock Chick'
Rebekah Davis will give us all shivers
on the 'famous City Library Piano'...
 
From 6.35 - 6.45pm,
you will be serenaded by Melbourne's finest
(folk tinged with country) duo:
"The Weeping Willows".
 
 
From 6.45 - 7.00pm we have
some wonderful poetry & song
from: John McKelvie.
 
 
From 7.05pm - 7.20pm, we'll be entertained by
Virginia Kennard, Performance Artist & Dancer
(with soundscapes by Emi Pogoni).
 
From 7.25 - 7.45pm:
Tash Sultana will blow your socks off!!

 
And from 7.50 - 7.55pm:
Prairie & Lance of 'Since We Kissed'
will be doing a very special "unplugged" song...
  
Brent Harpur (Whakapapa Curator)
will be in his other disguise as
the 'Kiwi Cartoonist'...
(there may be some free, spontaneous caricatures on offer!!)

There will also be some amazing "Hooping"
by: Casey Sol throughtout the evening...

And some more Special Guests
are yet to be confirmed!! Stay tuned!!!
 
ALL WELCOME! ALL AGES!!
KIA ORA !!!
 
PS:
At the time of writing this blog,
we are very excited to confirm
that 13 of the 16 Whakapapa Artists
will be attending the Opening!!
 
We hope you can make it, too!!

* All of the entertainment at the 'Whakapapa' Opening
are donating their time for free, and we are very
very grateful!! Thank you so, SO much!!
 
 
For more info:


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Welcome to Whakapapa!!

 
Kia ora!! (Welcome)
 
Is this your first visit to the Whakapapa blog?
 
If so, please click on the links
on the right hand side of the screen to view
each of the sixteen Kiwi (NZ) Artists
taking part in this very unique exhibition...
 
If you like what you see, please share this blog with others...
 
More blog entries coming VERY soon!!
 
Kia ora!
 
Brent Harpur,
Curator of Whakapapa.