About the Artists
Judy Millar
"For me a painting is a highly paradoxical object. It's able to point to things in the world, through the power of illusion. It's also physically real. That's the key paradox; it carries many more. And you're able to lay these all these elements down on a single surface. To me that's the fascination of painting." - Art New Zealand, Autumn 2008.
Judy Millar is considered one of New Zealand's most experienced mid-career abstractionists. Her large scale paintings challenge the relationship between canvas and paint, static and movement.
Born in Auckland in 1957, Judy Millar studied at the University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts, graduating with a BFA in 1980 and an MFA in 1983. In 1989 Millar returned to the University of Auckland to study the writings of Italian feminist authors. During this time she learnt the Italian language and became more interested in Italian contemporary culture. She gained an Italian Government Scholarship in 1990 and spent a year in Turin researching the work of Italian artists from the 1960s and 1970s. While in Italy she became increasingly convinced that painting could still be a vital part of the contemporary artistic landscape. She returned to her home, Anawhata, on Auckland's west coast at the end of 1990 to develop her now well known painting practice. In 2002 she won the Wallace Art Award.
Since 1998 Judy Millar has lectured in painting at the University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts, both in fulltime and part time capacities. The artist is represented by Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland; 64zero3, Christchurch; Spielhaus Morrison Gallerie, Berlin and Galerie Mark Mueller, Zurich.
Previous exhibitions
Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
64zero3, Christchurch
Spielhaus Morrison Gallery, Berlin (click on Artists)
Galerie Mark Mueller, Zurich
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About Leonhard Emmerling (Curator)
Francis Upritchard
"...the mix-up of history, mischief and meaning is a potent mixture" -Art News New Zealand, Summer 2003, Sue Gardiner
Francis Upritchard is a New Zealand born artist living in London. She has exhibited extensively in Aotearoa New Zealand, Europe and America since graduating from Canterbury University's Ilam School of Fine Arts in 1997. In 2006 Francis Uprichard was the winner of the Walters Prize, often refered to as the New Zealand equivalent of the Tate Prize, Tate Britain.
In 2007-08 Francis Upritchard took up a three month residency at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery resulting in the exhibition rainwob I before participating in a residency at Artspace Sydney where she presented rainwob II. These exhibitions continue to explore Uprichard's fascination with the dislocated; a mix of history retrieved, reworked and reinvested with new meaning. The result is prophetic in its confusion and misunderstanding; the ancient mixes it up with the future, this is evolution gone wild.
Upritchard has maintained a regular exhibiting profile in New Zealand, and returns regularly to make new work. In addition to co-running The Bart Wells Institute, a gallery she co-founded with Luke Gottelier, Upritchard has curated a number of group exhibitions in London and New Zealand. The artist's book Human Problems, with text by Hari Kunzru was published by Kate MacGarry and Veenman Publishers in 2006.
Previous exhibitions
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
Kate MacGarry Gallery, London
The Saatchi Gallery, London
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
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