'Inhale | Exhaleʼ Vincent Wardʼs dual Auckland exhibitions open in July

New Zealand’s visionary image-maker Vincent Ward will be holding two public exhibitions simultaneously in Auckland this July.

Inhale and Exhale build upon the range of works Ward originally created for his solo show at New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in December. They explore themes of human vulnerability and transformation. The show titled Exhale showcases a series of physically imposing photographic, print and painted works and opens 2 July at The Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre.

Inhale features Ward’s cinematic installations and opens 6 July at the Gus Fisher Gallery at The University of Auckland.

As part of the opening celebrations, Vincent Ward is launching his new book, also titled Inhale | Exhale. The 180-page, large-format publication explores Ward’s distinctive fusion of film, photography and paint. Released by Montana Book Award winning publisher Ron Sang Inhale | Exhale will sit alongside Sang’s books on the work of Ralph Hotere, Len Castle and Michael Smither. Ward will be available for book signings half an hour prior to both openings.

Ward’s upcoming exhibitions and the publication draw together two strands of his career, as a leading figure in the feature film industry with a background in fine arts. Ward’s films are frequently acclaimed for their painterly aesthetic, the origins of which can be traced back to Ward’s studies in fine arts at Ilam School of Fine Arts in Christchurch. If Ward’s beginnings as an art student have informed his films, it is his depth of experience as a filmmaker that underpins the visual language found in his artwork. These exhibitions show Ward stripping his cinematic work to its essence and re-imaging it with painting, moving image and photography to explore the intersection between these media.

“The surprise strength is Ward’s paintings of female nudes. With their dramatic, ambiguous baroque gestures, and the rich rippling surfaces that coat the models’ skin …. they are violent yet celebratory, as if part of some strenuous ritual. The emotional turbulence of these works tugs and turns you around, like a dark contemporary version of Renoir.” - Mark Amery, Dominion Post.

Ward is excited to be exhibiting in Auckland: “This body of work has been a long time in the making. I have been able to build on the Govett-Brewster exhibition and further explore techniques and ideas. I am thrilled to be able to share my work with an Auckland audience, as well as with my friends, colleagues and family, here, in the city I live and work in”.

A visit to The Pah Homestead, TSB Wallace Arts Centre and the Gus Fisher Gallery this July will give a unique opportunity to view Ward’s powerful and moving works and to participate in his metamorphosis from filmmaker to exhibiting artist.

Inhale: Cinematic installations, opens at 5.30pm on Friday 6 July at the Gus Fisher Gallery and runs until 25 August.
The Gus Fisher Gallery
74 Shortland Street
Auckland
www.gusfishergallery.auckland.ac.nz

Exhale: Prints and paintings, opens at 6pm on 2 July at The Pah Homestead and runs until 2 September.
The Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre
72 Hillsborough Road
Hillsborough
Auckland
www.tsbbankwallaceartscentre.org.nz