ISBN 978 0 473 19602 8

ISBN 978 0 473 19602 8

WelcomeLen Brown Mayor of Auckland

Auckland has a unique setting, nestled amongst three harbours, studded with volcanic cones and fringed by native bush-clad ranges and beautiful beaches.

This beautiful natural environment is one of the things that makes Auckland such a great place to live. We are immensely fortunate to have parks and gardens across the region that let us enjoy and make good use of our green spaces. As a council, we are determined to protect and enhance our precious natural environment.

I’m lucky that the Auckland Botanic Gardens is my ‘local’, a park not far off being an extension of my backyard.

I enjoy seeing how well frequented the gardens are, by people from all backgrounds and of all ages, be it large family groups enjoying a picnic, local residents walking their dogs or busloads of garden enthusiasts from the opposite end of the region.

It is a popular spot for new Auckanders getting to know their region and for budding horticulturalists looking for advice, ideas and inspiration.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fl ocked to the gardens for the fi rst two Sculpture in the Gardens events. These events give Aucklanders and visitors alike a visually stimulating and thought-provoking new way to enjoy these gardens.

To the Friends, the artists and the organisers: congratulations on this, the third Sculpture in the Gardens. This is a truly incomparable celebration of New Zealand’s best artistic talent, in a uniquely Auckland setting.

To Jack Hobbs and the staff of the Auckland Botanic Gardens, you have one of the best ‘offi ces’ in the region! Keep up the good work.

Come along to Sculpture in the Gardens – relax, enjoy and take a fresh look.

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ForewordSandra Coney Chair Parks, Recreation and Heritage Forum

When we fi rst set out on this journey in 2007, this foray into the art world, we didn’t really expect to draw more than 300,000 people to the Gardens to enjoy sculpture.

The second exhibition eclipsed the fi rst; in visitor numbers and popularity, and now, as we celebrate the opening of Sculpture in the Gardens 2011/12, it’s our expectation that we’ll hit the one million visitor mark, over the show’s three-exhibition history.

It all began with a kernel of an idea from the Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens, who wanted to see a fl agship event, based in art, bringing people to the Gardens. Together with the Gardens’ staff, the artists, the volunteers, patrons and supporters, the Friends have continually delivered a world-class event that Auckland can be proud of.

The vision of the Auckland Botanic Gardens’ Master Plan speaks of a spectacular South Pacifi c garden of outstanding plants, identity and inspiration.

Events such as this increase awareness, attract a broader cross-section of people to the Gardens and offer an opportunity to celebrate our regional identity and inspire our visitors. In years to come, returning art and garden lovers will also see the fruits of the Master Plan in the development of new gardens, including a traditional Mäori garden and heritage orchard, and more enticing pathways connecting the garden collections.

When we penned this catalogue, the artworks were being made, footings installed and preparations made for the show. Anticipation and excitement is building for these unseen masterpieces, and I for one look forward to rediscovering the Auckland Botanic Gardens on the sculpture trail.

5

IntroductionGraeme Hauer President Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens

The Friends are immensely proud of Sculpture in the Gardens. It is the most signifi cant event we hold, engaging thousands of visitors with plants and great art. We are delighted with the show’s achievements to date and remain committed to its future success.

The prospects for this year’s exhibition looked rather gloomy a year or so ago due to a signifi cant funding shortfall; the event was under threat.

I proposed to the Friends’ executive that we pick up the shortfall, some $50,000, and was delighted with their positive response – a signifi cant move for which they must be congratulated.

As in previous years, the Friends will again be funding the purchase of an artwork from the exhibition.

I also thank the ASB Community Trust for supporting Sculpture in the Gardens. The Trust has provided considerable funding for each exhibition to date, and we are grateful for their ongoing support.

This summer, hundreds of thousands of people will be inspired by sculpture. They will also enjoy the many other activities and opportunities that are on offer, including guided walks, meeting the artists, food, wine and music.

This comprehensive programme is due to the dedicated efforts of our organising committee. In particular I must acknowledge Liz Powell and Byrdie Ayres, both strong advocates for this exhibition, on our executive. Mich Newton is, as always, the driving force behind the scenes and we would be nowhere without our curatorial panel of Alexa Johnston, Richard Mathieson and Rachel de Lambert.

Finally, I must congratulate the participating artists for putting on such a great exhibition. The quality of the artworks is superb, and they will be an inspiration to more than 300,000 visitors over the coming months.

7

From the Curatorial TeamAlexa Johnston

Rachel de Lambert

Richard Mathieson

That we have this year reached the third Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition is a cause for celebration and a testament to the determination of the Friends and the staff of the Auckland Botanic Gardens to keep their bold initiative alive in complicated and diffi cult times. And this year’s exhibition is very much alive with a dynamic array of works spreading out and inhabiting the glades, lawns, pools, paths and hidden spaces of the Gardens with energy, humour, sparkle, colour, thoughtfulness and serious purpose.

Walking this year’s sculpture trail brings not only new experiences of the maturing beauty of the Gardens and the endless creativity of the sculptors, but all sorts of interwoven memories. There are memories of other works which have inhabited the spaces and left their marks on our minds, and memories of earlier works by the same artists demonstrating the range of which they are capable. Think of Jim Wheeler’s scrambling, invasive Kudzu! in the fi rst show and his simple tanekaha Object of Devotion this year; or Christine Hellyar’s small, fl ood-surviving creatures in 2009 and now her graceful, nurturing Kava Kawakawa Fountain; or Jamie Pickernell’s witty Teenage Text Bunny and his composed and elegant – but sharp-beaked – Bird Lady. Last time Bing Dawe’s endangered birds were wishing for St Francis and this year they are still waiting for him. Tui Hobson, Jeff Thomson, John Edgar, Richard Wedekind and Llew Summers have all contributed to the growing sense that this show is part of a continuum – an important and enjoyable addition to the range of outdoor exhibitions held in greater Auckland. Purchases by the Friends of a number of works now permanently installed continue to strengthen the connection between these gardens and superb outdoor sculpture.

Many sculptors exhibiting for the fi rst time this year will put their stamp on our visual memories with brilliant new works and experiences. Bronwynne Cornish uses living plants in her sheltering Bivy, whereas Mia Hamilton and Bev Goodwin festoon pool and lawns with exotic handmade blooms. Lucy Bucknall’s Big Man draws us into his sombre reverie in the Perennial Garden, while from Bryan Verey’s Swing we have a dizzying new vantage point for viewing the roses – and there is much more to discover as you walk around. Terry Stringer had the bright idea of asking a group of artists to make the small works which cluster on poles near the visitor centre in Garden Elementals, bringing still more variety to this year’s show, and inside Huakaiwaka is a display of smaller works by many of the artists who have shown in past exhibitions. With such a rich and generous variety of experiences for the people of Auckland, we are confi dent that Sculpture in the Gardens is here to stay.

The curatorial team is grateful to the Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens for their visionary leadership of this project; to the staff of the Gardens – Jack Hobbs, Micheline Newton and their dedicated team – for their effi cient and enthusiastic management; to the sponsors for making the exhibition possible and to the artists for their wonderful work. It has again been a privilege to be part of this event.

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Participating artistsThe fi rst number refers to the trail guide (back cover fold-out page);the second number is the page number.

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Jim Wheeler

Richard Wedekind

Elementals group

Tui Hobson

Bev Goodwin

Lucy Bucknall

Regan Gentry

John Oxborough

Mia Hamilton

Todd Douglas

Bronwynne Cornish

Lgop co-op

Bryan Verey

John Edgar

Chris Moore

Jeff Thomson

Gill Gatfield

Llew Summers

Bing Dawe

Jamie Pickernell

Christine Hellyar

1110

1 Jim W

heeler

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1

‘For me, there is a feeling of humility knowing I am a tiny being with only a fraction of the tree’s age, experience, strength and worth,’ says Jim Wheeler as he explains the sense of wonder one gets from standing at the foot of a giant, fully grown, mature tree.

The fi rst sculpture that visitors will encounter as they set out on the trail, Object of Devotion is a ‘mere leafl et’ off an imaginary branch from an unimaginably large tree. In creating this piece, Wheeler attempts to shift our perspective on life and have us consider where we fi t in this world.

Jim Wheeler is no stranger to Sculpture in the Gardens, his work Kudzu! appearing in the inaugural exhibition and his medal art featured greatly in the last show’s indoor collection. He studied art and biology at university, which informs his sculptural practice today, and was an apprentice at The Johnson Atelier, working with a number of world-renowned artists and craftsmen.

In New Zealand, Wheeler helped set up Art Works foundry, has taught widely and established the Rock and Foam Department for The Lord of the Rings in Wellington. He has exhibited since 1979 and his work is held in, amongst other places, the British Museum, the Weatherspoon Art Museum (USA) and James Wallace Art Trust. He has numerous public commissions, is a member of the Medallic Artists of New Zealand and has recently featured at Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, Waiheke Art Gallery, New Douse Art Museum, Percy Thomson Gallery and Tawharanui Art in the Woolshed.

Jim Wheeler was born in North Carolina (USA) in 1952 and lives in Auckland.

Jim Wheeler

Object of DevotionBronze 2500mm x 1020mm x 1020mm

$38,850

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2 Richard Wedekind

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Barista Alchemy references cafe culture and environmental issues. It is calmly sited on the Huakaiwaka terrace, in the lee of the Gardens’ cafe, and looking out on to a collection of lush living plants; some rare, some threatened, most native and all natural.

The juxtaposition of a heavy-duty, industrial fi xture in a botanic garden confronts the viewer and addresses contemporary issues, while the whimsical attachment of coffee-making paraphernalia to the outlets provides a commentary on the complete reliance of our culture and lifestyle on fossil fuels. The continued fl ow of oil, gas and coal is what supports civilisation as we know it.

Richard Wedekind is a sculptor and painter who draws inspiration from his fi rst career as an earth scientist. His work has appeared at Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, ShapeShifter, Sculpture in Central Otago, Sculpture in the Gardens, Sculpture OnShore and Sculpture on the Gulf. It also features in public and private collections across Australasia and publicly commissioned works appear in Auckland and Upper Hutt. Wedekind features in Warwick Brown’s book ‘seen this century – 100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists’.

The help and support of Origin Energy, Hooker Pacifi c and Vause Oil Production Services is gratefully acknowledged.

Richard Wedekind was born in Timaru in 1958 and lives on Waiheke Island.

2 Richard Wedekind

Barista Alchemy Painted steel, stainless steel 3000mm x 2000mm x 500mm

$9,500

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3 Elementals group*

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3 Elementals group*

Garden ElementalsMetal, wood, ceramic and resin on stainless steel poles Pole 1200mm, work 200mm – 500mm

$2,000 – $12,000

*(collaboration of 14 artists) Graham Bennett, Tanya Blong, Bill Hayes, Bryan Jones,

Virginia King, Samantha Lissette, Lauren Lysaght, Richard McWhannell, Christine Massey, John Papas,

Terry Stringer, Marte Szirmay, Greer Twiss, Jim Wheeler.

Like pins clustered on a big pincushion, these works form a ritualistic group on the Gardens’ lawn. But each work is available separately, for taking away to another outdoor site, where it might become the resident garden spirit.

The idea for this collaboration grew from an installation in Terry Stringer’s own garden; a series of small works on poles at the bends of an outdoor staircase. Stringer experimented with similar groupings at Sculpture OnShore and was struck by the way people responded to the works in an outdoor setting – commenting with freedom and relaxed laughter, ‘unlike the whispering of gallery behaviour’.

Garden Elementals is a collaboration of 14 artists, initiated by Terry Stringer. They are a mixture of unique works and editions, available either mounted on the presentation pole, or not.

Terry StringerSun Beholder 2011

Lauren LysaghtGhost Swan

Bryan JonesLittle Tin Goddess

Graham BennettOn Watch

Marte SzirmayHead Above the Water 2011

Jim WheelerRegeneration –

Puriri Finial 2011

Bill HayesTemple of the Bird Man

Richard McWhannellPinup

Virginia KingKereru

Tanya BlongHammer and

the AnvilSamantha LissetteThe Peace Makers

Greer TwissPause 2011

John PapasThe Complete Environment

Christine MasseyAn Offering

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4 Tui Hobson

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‘Four birds, the tui, kaka, torea (oyster catcher) and whekau (laughing owl) stand on top of the karearea (New Zealand falcon). Wise watchers working together, building on the past and looking to the future.’

‘Through birdlife the work explores the ideas of guardianship, wisdom and respect. No bird stands on their own; they are all part of a strong line.”

Hobson describes the large bird, the karearea at the foundation, as the ‘here and now’, carrying with it the wisdom of the birds above as well as being an important participant in the exchange of knowledge.

This work is part of the Bird Strategy series. Bird Strategy follows Ancestral Light, which featured in the last Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition, the Navigation series, and the Women Warrior series. Tui Hobson has exhibited at major exhibitions around New Zealand, including the recent Pacifi c Currents at the Waiheke Community Art Gallery.

Her public installations feature in Auckland, Tokoroa and Taiwan, where Hobson completed a residency in 2008.

Hobson works with wood, stone and cast glass, responding to the materials she is working with and infusing a contemporary and aesthetic twist. She is inspired by totara, kauri, rimu, matai and macrocarpa and the unique qualities of these timbers. ‘The scars in the wood are elements that add character, rather than something to be hidden or removed.’

Tui Hobson grew up in Wellington and now lives in Auckland.

4 Tui Hobson

Bird StrategyMacrocarpa 4600mm x 500mm x 500mm

$18,000

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5 Bev Goodwin

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An installation of individual blooms, free fl oating in the lake and evoking the feeling of Pasifi ka that is so familiar to Auckland. Bev Goodwin was inspired by the thought of lily pads and has added a touch of the unusual and vibrantly colourful to these works that are thoroughly at home in this South Pacifi c garden.

‘I love to work with recycled, low-tech and unusual materials. The exotic blooms are a light-hearted nod to the increasing development of an ‘unnatural’ natural world.

The artifi cial can so easily appeal and appear to be part of Nature’s bounty and in some cases to actually be accepted as such.’

Bev Goodwin studied fi ne arts (painting) at the Accademia di Belli Arti in Florence, Italy, and 3D design at Unitec. She is a multimedia artist who has had numerous solo exhibitions around New Zealand.

Goodwin’s works have appeared in New Zealand collective exhibitions including NZ Sculpture OnShore, World of Wearable Art, Objective Art, as well as in Italy, Paris, China and the United States.

She has also curated many exhibitions and is a graphic designer.

Bev Goodwin lives in Auckland.

5 Bev Goodwin

Exotic Blooms Mixed cable ties, leis, acrylic, hub-caps, wireFrom 400mm x 400mm x 120mm

Small $900 each, large $1,150 each

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6 Lucy Bucknall

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Big Man digs his arms deep into the pockets of his ‘hoodie’; a privately hunched-over polar bear with a modern twist, making a statement about the state of his natural environment.

Lucy Bucknall has used welded and shaped sheet and rod phosphor bronze to create her bear in his ‘super Pacifi c’ sized hoodie. Big Man will no doubt draw many hands, especially little ones, to feel the exciting texture of the metal and maybe even prod the man himself to look up.

The predicament of the planet is at the forefront of this work; the polar bear verging on extinction and the hoodie

symbolic of many things – strength, belonging, fear, being anonymous.

‘Like a pair of blue jeans, a ubiquitous feature of our modern world, the hoodie offers the bear some empowering strength and hope for the future of his environment.’

Lucy Bucknall studied at the Bath Academy of Art, United Kingdom, and was apprentice to sculptor AE Crampton. She has been a foundry worker, gallery manager, tutor and curator. She paints in oils on canvas and her sculptures are one-off fabricated bronze. Her works have appeared in solo exhibitions and collective shows such as Sculpture OnShore, Sculpture on the Gulf, Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, Waitakaruru Aboretum and at the Waiheke Community Art Gallery.

Bucknall has work in private collections in New Zealand and around the world. She is a member of the ‘Other Voices’ international project set up to promote creative dismantlement of cultural boundaries and the promotion of world peace.

Lucy Bucknall was born in the UK in 1966 and lives in Auckland.

6 Lucy Bucknall

Big Man Sheet and rod phosphor bronze 2100mm x 1000mm

$75,000

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7 Regan Gentry

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Where else would you expect to fi nd 101 shovels, but in a botanic garden.

Splayed is a collection of ordinary garden-variety spades arranged to form an extraordinary botanical specimen. The wooden handles of the shovels create the illusion of a bloom, whilst the blades form the fl ower head with a geometric symmetry so often seen in nature. The silvery galvanised hue gives a futuristic slant to the sculpture.

Regan Gentry has a Bachelor of Fine Art from Otago University and has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and around the world. His works range from Sweet Jesus, a leadlight window made from licorice strips and wine gum sweets to Harbour Mouth Molars, 2.6m high wisdom teeth fashioned from Oamaru stone on the Otago Harbour.

‘As a sculptor my artistic practice typically depicts the relationship of people to their environment and how this is acted out. Using a wide range of materials and situations my work is characterised by a playful musing and using of material, language, location and structure.

The phrases, materials and circumstances I employ in my works are chosen for their familiarity and well-established usage in our lives.’

Regan Gentry was born in 1976 and lives in Auckland.

7 Regan Gentry

Splayed101 galvanised shovels, monel rivets, galvanised screws and pipes 3500mm x 3500mm x 2500mm

$14,000

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8 John Oxborough

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Now on their feet and enjoying a prance around the garden, this work shows two fi gures, one in the midst of stretching and one in brisk movement.

From different angles, limbs and bodily parts behave as one. Both fi gures using the limbs of the other, depending on the angle of the viewer, while also acting as two completely separate fi gures.

‘I wanted a sculpture where the fi gures’ stance and actions will change with the viewer’s position and chose a material that will change under differing light and weather conditions. The nature of the mediums chosen encouraging age and weathering; as with us.’

John Oxborough graduated from Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts in 1990 and has exhibited extensively within New Zealand. His works are held in public, private and international collections including the Dunedin Public Hospital and James Wallace Arts Trust.

Oxborough’s work has appeared at Sculpture OnShore, Tawharanui Art in the Woolshed and numerous solo exhibitions.

John Oxborough lives in Auckland.

8 John Oxborough

Double StretchPremium steel, Oamaru stone 1200mm x 1200mm x 1825mm

$10,900

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9 Mia Ham

ilton

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‘Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. Taking care of what we have, including our earth.’

The artist’s early memories of a daisy blanket that her parents made for her childhood bed inspired this Daisy Blanket of 2011. Mia Hamilton recalls her father shearing sheep with the hand clippers and spinning wool for her mother to make into daisies on an old wooden ‘bloom loom’. The daisies were then crocheted together and ‘Mia watched in fascination as a fi eld of daisies grew over her bed.’

Hamilton hopes to evoke an ‘I used to do that’ response in her viewers, as they recall similar childhood activities, whilst

reminding them of the fragility of our world. She has fashioned these fl owers out of rescued plastic on an oversized wooden bloom loom, creating larger-than- life items out of strong contemporary materials.

Mia Hamilton has a Diploma in Interior Design from the Academy of Fine Arts, London, and a Diploma of Art and Creativity from The Learning Connexion, Wellington. She says the need to create has been with her from childhood. She has a love for ceramics and is inspired by great New Zealand potters like Len Castle and Raewyn Atkinson. Hamilton is currently ‘Potter in Residence’ at the Wellington Potters Association.

Hamilton has held solo exhibitions in Wellington and New Plymouth and participated in many group exhibitions including Sculpture on the Gulf and Deco Echo at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington.

Mia Hamilton lives in Wellington.

9 Mia Hamilton

Daisy BlanketRecycled plastic, twine 500mm per daisy

$4,500

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10 Todd Douglas

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Walking over the bridge at the Rose Garden, one can’t help but pause for a moment and look at the refl ections in the water of the encircling vegetation and the sky.

Still:Life enhances the experience of contemplation and refl ection the lake inspires, with clusters of ‘sea creatures’ strangely and surprisingly, made of earth. Coiled from raku clay and hand sculpted, they rise out of the water, with tentacles of porcelain feeding on invisible currents.

Like much of Todd Douglas’ work, Still:Life doesn’t come from a single thought or inspiration but rather from many strands that converge into a place from which the work is then born or made.

Todd Douglas is an award-winning ceramic artist whose work is held in private and public collections in New Zealand and internationally.

Although well known for his signature contemporary Maori sculptures in which he combines carved clay with stunning macro-crystalline glazes and lashing, Todd has recently been developing mixed media work utilising materials such as clays, wood, lashing, and LED lighting.

Todd Douglas lives and works at Muriwai Beach.

10 Todd Douglas

Still:Life Raku clay, porcelain 1100mm x 1000mm

$25,500 or $8,500 each set

RIGHT: PHOTOCOMPOSITION

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11 Bronwynne Cornish

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This work encompasses Bronwynne Cornish’s two great loves, bush and urban archaeology. The bivy is something you may stumble across in the bush. A secret hut; someone’s quiet place.

It is made from living kanuka, which Cornish calls a ‘marvellous and much underrated tree’ and which she considers to be a mother tree because of the nurseries of small plants that spring up underneath and grow up to meet the mother.

Inside the cool green space, a treasure box awaits discovery. Gathered from old house sites in Auckland, you will fi nd fragments of vessels and plates that Cornish imagines being returned to the ground.

Cornish was a recent winner of the prestigious James Wallace Arts Trust Development Award where she received a two month residency at the Vermont Studio Centre in Vermont, USA.

Her exhibition history includes solo shows in almost every year since 1970. Her work is in major public and private collections in New Zealand and abroad including The Auckland War Memorial Museum, The Dowse Art Museum, Wellington, The NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wellington, The Wallace Collection, and the Kobayashi Collection, Tokyo.

This work is dedicated to Malcolm Ross.

Bronwynne Cornish was born in Wellington in 1945 and lives in Auckland.

11 Bronwynne Cornish

BivyKanuka, glass, ceramic 2000mm x 1400mm

$6,000

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12 Lgop co-op*

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12 Lgop co-op*

Project Zeltsitz in GondwanaSteel, aluminium, stretch fabric, signage 20m x 8m (approx)

$25,300

*(collaboration of 3 artists)

Suza, Warwick Bell, Isaac McCormick

Project Zeltsitz responds to mankind’s ancient and continuing need for shelter and comfort.

Zeltsitz is a newly created word that does not exist in the German dictionary but is derived from Zelt, meaning ‘tent’, and Sitz, meaning ‘seat’. The Zeltsitze or tentseats are urban structures that tempt human activity with a seat that is hidden.

Invited into the project with a sign promising a resting place, visitors can relax and enjoy the view from one of the fi ve Zeltsitze amid the ancient trees of the Gondwana Arboretum.

‘We are ‘urban nomads’ living in a human-made world. However, as with our early ancestors, we only survive if we are observant and inventive. If we connect with each other and the environment we live within. We do well if we manage to creatively adapt and see the signs for what may shelter and comfort us.’

Lgop co-op comprises multimedia artist Suza, designer Warwick Bell and engineer Isaac McCormick. German-born Suza grew up in Turkey and lived in Germany and Italy before coming to New Zealand. She has a BA and MA from Elam School of Fine Arts and a German diploma in interior design. Suza has exhibited widely in Auckland and Wellington.

Suza, Bell and McCormick fi rst collaborated in 2010 for Sculpture on the Gulf 2011, producing the quirky interactive installation Free Air. Project Zeltsitz previewed at Art in the Dark at Western Park in 2010 with three Zeltsitz prototypes on show.

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13 Bryan Verey

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‘Relief depictions of New Zealand fl ora and fauna are back-to-back with the reality of modern city living. The swing pendulums between these extremes, coming to rest in the middle.’

Stand back from Swing and you’ll be forgiven for thinking it’s just that – a traditional swing in a garden setting. But get up close and see the stories that the intricate carving tells. Of a tui on a fl ax fl ower or an iconic New Zealand toi toi rippling in the wind; and alongside it, the trappings of modern life – surprising and unexpected in this medium.

Bryan Verey’s involvement with art began seriously in the Christchurch Artists Quarter in the mid 1970s, an experience he found stimulating and supportive, as he mixed with other artists and craftspeople. Verey has been involved in group exhibitions through the Canterbury Society of Arts, World Crafts Council and Artists Quarter shows.

He has completed commissions for many organisations and corporates, including the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Spirit of Adventure and Public Trusts and the Coast Guard. Verey carved the piano for the fi lm of the same name and works on antique restoration and furniture-related projects.

Verey’s most recent collaboration, for the Michael Parekowhai installation at the 2011 Venice Biennale, consisted of an intricately carved, deep red piano.

Bryan Verey lives in Auckland.

13 Bryan Verey

Swing Radiata pine 2700mm x 4000mm

$12,000

RIGHT: DETAIL OF GALLERY PIECE

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14 John Edgar

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‘A digital marker of time and place, a modern totem pole or pou, carrying a message in symbols while preserving and honouring the beauty of the natural columnar basalt.’

This tall striking column of volcanic rock stands proud in the distance and draws the viewer to touch and feel the rough exterior, trace its geometric idiosyncracies with a fi nger and contemplate the history of its existence.

John Edgar has been creating artworks and exhibiting in New Zealand and abroad since 1977. His public art projects include the McLeod’s Foodbridge in Henderson, two basalt sculptures for the Waitakere City Civic Centre and the granite Transformer in the Auckland Domain. Edgar’s exhibition Ballast appeared at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Group exhibitions include Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, ShapeShifter, Sculpture OnShore and Waitakaruru Arboretum.

His works Ellipse, Sight and Compass featured at the last Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition and were his fi rst works made from this high quality Auckland columnar basalt.

John Edgar, ONZM, was born in Auckland in 1950 and lives at Karekare.

14 John Edgar

Core Basalt (Auckland), sandstone (India) 1870mm x 560mm x 500mm

$17,500

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15 Chris Moore

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In creating Gateway, Chris Moore has entered the imagination of the visionaries who created the Auckland Botanic Gardens and others who have placed art here.

‘The archway is a symbol of welcome, of new beginnings and direction. With this work I draw from the archway in my own imagination to welcome all those who pass through; an archway inspired by art, nature and the gardens.’

So take a magical stroll through Gateway and challenge yourself to see the Gardens through new eyes.

Chris Moore has been a full-time designer and artist for over a decade. Originally focusing on oil painting and portraiture, Moore later moved his attention to metalwork, completing an apprenticeship in traditional blacksmithing in Europe.

Since returning to New Zealand in 2003 he has established his own studio and has been creating and exhibiting his work in forged steel and bronze throughout New Zealand and overseas. Recent exhibitions include Sculpture OnShore, Eye for Sculpture in Clevedon and the Tauranga Garden and Art Festival.

Moore’s work is in private homes and collections including luxury super yacht Mine Games and the Waitakaruru Arboretum.

Chris Moore lives in Auckland.

15 Chris Moore

Gateway Forged steel, bronze 2700mm x 500mm x 1600mm

$16,500

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16 Jeff Thomson

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A collection of concrete shapes cast in moulds made from corrugated iron and other roofi ng related materials is transformed into a magical ‘garden’. On the surface, it looks very much like corrugated iron, in both shape and hue. But lay a hand on one of these pieces and there’s no doubt you will be surprised by the cool smooth touch that is unmistakeably concrete.

Jeff Thomson was inspired by his own backyard and the eclectic gardens of Derek Jarman in Dungeness, Kent, England and Rick Rudd in Whanganui, both of which are built on the premise of rehoming found items, and creating a space of form and texture.

‘For many years I have experimented with the ripple pattern. During this process I’ve used a variety of materials that are far removed from the original as we know it, ‘corrugated iron. Concrete has long been part of my repertoire.’

Jeff Thomson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. He has lived, worked, exhibited and held residencies across New Zealand and in Germany, Australia and France.

For nearly 30 years, Thomson has worked with corrugated iron – a material synonymous with day-to-day New Zealand life and one which Thomson has fashioned into everything from a Holden station wagon to a topiary kiwi. Amongst his many public art works, the car is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

His works Topiary and Water tanks appeared in the two previous Sculpture in the Gardens exhibitions.

Jeff Thomson was born in Auckland in 1957 and lives in Helensville.

16 Jeff Thomson

When Gorse Ceases FloweringConcrete, corrugated iron Various sizes

$25,000

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17 Gill Gatfi eld

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Rising from the ground, Native Tongue articulates a monumental number/letter/word: ‘I or One’, in a single slab cut from the heartwood of a giant ancient kauri.

Radiocarbon-dated at over 45,000 years old, this very rare and unique timber, recovered from a prehistoric buried forest in Northland New Zealand, pre-dates the Ice Age, Neanderthal man, the hunt for mammoths, cave painting in Europe, and human migration to Aotearoa.

Possibly 2,000 years old when it fell, the mature tree remained chemically sealed in a peat swamp. In perfect condition more than 45 centuries later, the ‘heart shakes’ (formed at the centre of a fast

growing juvenile reaching for the canopy and bowing in the coastal winds) are conserved in Native Tongue.

Pre-dating the invention of language, the timber used in making the I-form sculpture places the earth at the centre of the concept and serves as a visual metaphor for the Mother Tongue or originating language from which all things evolve. The abstract fi gure remains open for interpretation by different cultures and creeds. The primordial, exhumed tree takes on a new life in Native Tongue, to tell many stories and begin again to silver with age.

Gill Gatfi eld graduated with Masters in Fine Arts (Hons) from Auckland University in 2004. Her sculptures, in glass, stone and timber, render complex ideas in minimalist form.

In 2011, Gatfi eld won a major public art competition for a permanent sculpture at Smales Farm Station, Auckland. Her work is exhibited widely in art award exhibitions, and held in collections in New Zealand and offshore.

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Native Tongueancient kauri (agathis australis) 3000mm x 1700mm x 200mm

POA

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18 Llew Summ

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Bird Watcher marks a return for Llew Summers to his earlier style of fi gurative works in the human form. He has more recently forayed into religious symbolism, creating winged angels, icons and shrines. However, there is a hint of the presence of wings in the near vicinity as Bird Watcher sits and contemplates his feathered friends.

This work has much in common with earlier works such as Sprung Man created in 2004 and the earlier Aztec Goddess, with its angularity and compactness of form. Summers says Bird Watcher’s form derives from the desire to contain the structure; to shape it within a tight block. It has a sense of refl ection and a

meditative quality, suggestive of a more overt interest in matters of the mind and spirit.

Visitors to the Gardens will be familiar with Llew Summers’ Butterfl y, the larger-than-life bronze that sees you off on your journey from the Huakaiwaka Visitor Centre, and a reminder of the fi rst ever Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition.

He has been exhibiting in solo and group shows since 1971 and his large public art works can be seen in outdoor settings from Kaitaia to Wanaka. Summers believes it is the role of the artist to challenge: ‘If it’s not challenging, then, in some way, it’s not new.’

Summers’ commissioned cathedral installation, on the 14 Stations of the Cross, marked the centenary of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. He works in wood, bronze, concrete, clay, marble and cast glass.

Llew Summers was born in Christchurch in 1947 and still lives there.

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Bird WatcherBronze 950mm x 750mm x 1300mm

$40,000

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19 Bing Dawe

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Watching out for St Francis features a collection of individual wind vanes representing a number of threatened water birds. Once again, Bing Dawe has referenced Giotto’s famous painting of St Francis feeding the birds, with the New Zealand birds depicted in a metaphorical way, wishing for the help of a modern-day equivalent of St Francis.

He has shifted the focus of his latest work to water birds and to their water habitat and employed the use of wind vanes so the birds physically move to face the wind.

‘They watch and wait for help; maybe it’s in the wind.’

For Bing Dawe, art is a vehicle for communicating his wider concerns about political, cultural and environmental issues. Birds particularly feature in Dawe’s work as he seeks to reveal the impact of humankind’s advancement and urban development on their natural habitats.

Since graduating from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts in the mid 1970s, Dawe has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and overseas. He has held over 40 solo exhibitions and his work is in many public and private collections here and around the world. Dawe’s works Never Much Loved – Black Shag at the Ox-Bow and Wishing for St Francis featured in both previous Sculpture in the Gardens exhibitions. Wishing for St Francis won the Stoneleigh People’s Choice Award in 2009/10.

Bing Dawe was born in Oamaru in 1952 and lives in Christchurch.

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Watching out for St FrancisSheet aluminium, steel pipe, carved and painted wood Variable sizes (total of 9 sculptures)

$50,000 ($4,000 – $9,000 each)

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20 Jamie Pickernell

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‘Who is this lady?’‘Well, she almost looks like a kiwi to me, bloody skinny though, what do you reckon?’

‘Maybe a weka?’‘Naa, beak’s too long.’

‘Wouldn’t want to get in the way of those claws.’

‘Yeah, or that beak.’‘Shuffl e up next to her and I’ll take a pic.’

‘Put your arm around her, she looks lonely.’

‘Get off!’

Jamie Pickernell was blown away by how many people use and visit the Gardens. He wanted to make something that was instantly accessible to people and that all

ages could relate to and interact with on a very basic level. Welcome Bird Lady.

‘You can sit next to the bird lady, share her park bench. I know it sounds corny but yes, take a picture of you and her. She’s us! People from the land of the birds.’

Pickernell is tipping his hat to Bill Hammond, renowned painter of magical birds, and requested Bird Lady be close to New Zealand fl ora and fauna. Where she, and the dangerous air that belies her calm repose, belongs.

Jamie Pickernell graduated from Whanganui’s Taupo Key School of Fine Art in 1996 with a degree in fi ne art, majoring in sculpture. His furniture, also a work of art, appears in private collections in New Zealand and around the world. Two pieces are in Te Papa Tongawera, the Museum of New Zealand.

Pickernell’s sculptures have featured in ShapeShifter, Waitakaruru Arboretum, Sculpture OnShore and the Lake House Wood Sculpture Exhibition as well as public installations around New Zealand. His work, Teenage Text Bunny, captured the imaginations of many at Sculpture in the Gardens 2009/10.

Jamie Pickernell lives in Rotorua.

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Bird Lady Mild steel, galvanised and powder coated steel, totara 2000mm x 1200mm x 1200mm

$15,000

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21 Christine Hellyar

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The Herb Garden is one of the oldest and most loved parts of the Gardens. It has always had a feeling of wellbeing and refl ects the history and ethnobotany of plants.

With Kava Kawakawa Fountain, Christine Hellyar intends to intensify these things, drawing attention to the importance of plants in our culture and making a greater connection to the garden beyond.

The sculpture’s frame is an amphora, making use of the borrowed garden it frames. The outer ring of kava leaves and inner ring of kawakawa leaves demonstrate the variety of medicinal and

ceremonial purposes of such plants, both found in the Gardens.

‘Kawakawa is an important plant to me personally as it has been used in my family throughout my life.’

Christine Hellyar has worked in bronze since the early 1970s and started to make outdoor works in the mid 1980s. All of her work looks at how different cultures see and make use of the landscape, with a particular interest in plants. She has work in all public art gallery collections in New Zealand and in the Speaking Chamber in Parliament.

Hellyar’s work has appeared in both previous Sculpture in the Gardens exhibitions and After the Flood won the McConnell Property Supreme Award in 2009/10. She was the resident botanic artist at the Gardens in the summer of 2011.

Christine Hellyar was born in New Plymouth in 1947 and lives in Auckland.

Christine Hellyar

Kava Kawakawa FountainCast bronze, water 750mm x 750mm x 1200mm

$13,500

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Auckland Botanic GardensJack HobbsManager, Auckland Botanic Gardens

Sculpture in the Gardens has quickly established itself as the highlight of our summer calendar.

Since the fi rst exhibition in 2007, visitor response has been resoundingly positive. Both previous events have been viewed by more than 300,000 visitors, many of whom would not usually have the opportunity to experience sculptures of such high quality.

You know something special has taken place when an audience is so completely captivated by their experience. The numerous spontaneous expressions of appreciation have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, reinforced by the research conducted during the events. Interestingly we receive more positive comment about our gardens during the exhibition than at any other time.

The magical element that has sparked such enthusiasm is that irresistible combination of great art and beautiful garden settings. Personally I get great pleasure from watching people, mainly children, interacting with the works.

For us, the wider benefi ts are seen in our visitors’ origin with around three times the people coming from central Auckland and the North Shore when compared to equivalent non-exhibition periods.

Visitors are also younger than at other times, more than half have not visited the Gardens before, and a large proportion of those indicate that they will soon return. Most importantly, the vast majority of visitors are delighted with their experience.

A longer-term benefi t of Sculpture in the Gardens is the outstanding collection of permanent sculptures being assembled here, many obtained as a direct result of the exhibition. Eventually we aspire to hold the most signifi cant collection of New Zealand sculpture in a public garden.

The success of the exhibition has everything to do with the calibre of people associated with it. Obviously the artistic talent is paramount, but others play a vital role.

Alexa Johnston, famed art afi cionado and author, has been a stalwart supporter and curatorial panel member from the start. I have no doubt that her mana and extensive network of contacts has drawn many others to also support the event, including many of the artists.

Richard Mathieson is another who has supported the exhibition wholeheartedly since it began. I am delighted that Richard has assumed an important role as a member of the curatorial panel.

Renowned landscape architect Rachel de Lambert, our third curator, brings a wealth of artistic appreciation and design talent to the panel.

Sculpture in the Gardens is successful because of the passionate team that supports it. This includes the Friends, curatorial panel, organising committee and Gardens staff. I wish to acknowledge everyone’s support, and invite you all to again enjoy this outstanding event.

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Permanent worksCarefully ensconced in garden collections, along walkways and byways, or at the Huakaiwaka Visitor Centre (itself a work of art), you will encounter the Auckland Botanic Gardens’ permanent collection of artworks and sculpture.

It is the legacy of past shows, of generous benefactors and the vision of garden creators who have incorporated art work into their horticultural work.

They will always be here and each has a story.Read more on our website.

A Fred Graham | Manu TorinoHuakaiwaka Visitor Centre

B James Wright (concept Maui ‘Atalanga ‘Ofamo’oni) | NikauHuakaiwaka Visitor Centre

C Llew Summers | Butterfl yButterfl y Lawn

D Richard Mathieson | TurnPohutukawa Walkway

E Virginia King | WakaThreatened Native Plants Garden

F Colleen Ryan-Priest | Caught in the Act of Losing YouThreatened Native Plants Garden

G Dr Richard Cooper | Awhi RitoPalm Garden

H Samantha Lissette | Rose CathedralRefl ective Rose Garden

I Peter Lange | Curmudgeon SuiteNew Zealand Rose Garden

J John Botica | FrangipaniPotter Children’s Garden

K James Wright | Friend or FoePotter Children’s Garden

L Peter Lange | Campsite – boat & tentSouth Lawn

Peter Lange | Campsite – boat & tent. Friends acquisition 2007/08.

Colleen Ryan-Priest | Caught in the Act of Losing You.Friends acquisition 2009/10.

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Garden of Delights 2Medal Artists New Zealand Huakaiwaka Visitor Centre

This glass case exhibition of small sculpture by Medal Artists New Zealand is a continuation of the show presented as part of the indoor Huakaiwaka exhibition, Sculpture in the Gardens 2009/10.

The curator of that show was Marte Szirmay, ‘Our celebration of the world of plants and natural elements. A token of thanks for the gifts bestowed on us by them. Plants have been our companions and life sustainers from the start: they feed us, heal us, shelter us, heat us, clothe us, clean our air, fertilise the soil, amuse and delight us.’

Their guest is celebrated artist Paul Hartigan who has had a 35 year love affair with neon. ‘Neon is perceived as a synthetic but is actually made of organic elements. The glass is from sand, the neon gas is extracted from the air that we breath, and the colours are ground fragments from living rocks that glow in the dark. The red hue of a sunset is neon gas being burnt off.’

Medal Artists New Zealand is a g roup of artist from various disciplines who use the handheld object as a form of expression. They have been exhibiting together for over 21 years. The works are either unique statements or are presented as small multiple editions.

Living art formsBev McConnell McConnell Family Supreme Award sponsor

Once again the McConnell family feel privileged to support the Auckland Botanic Gardens in this exciting initiative. It is a wonderful setting in which to display the work of so many talented artists.

We are fortunate in New Zealand to have artists of this calibre; their imagination dedication and hours of hard work deserve the sympathetic background the Gardens offers.

This year the creative new addition to the Potters Children’s Garden is worthy of special mention and a visit by all who come to enjoy, debate and absorb the sculptural works on display.

This is a well-organised and much-anticipated biennial event in our calendars.

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Patrons

David and Genevieve Becroft

Boffa Miskell

Supporters

Eleanor and Dick Lane

John and Sue Maasland

Thanks to our patrons, supporters and sponsors We are grateful to the following people for their support of Sculpture in the Gardens 2011/12:

TheDigitalDarkroom

N E W Z E A L A N D

Event sponsors

ASB Community Trust

McConnell Family

Coopers Creek Vineyard

The Breeze

John Leech Gallery

The Digital Darkroom

AcknowledgementsIt’s no mean feat putting on a show of this scale, for this long and for the enjoyment of this many people. Sculpture in the Gardens would not be possible without the collaboration between the artists, the event organisers, our sponsors and the team who roll their sleeves up and get on with the show.

Event organisers

• The Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens

• Auckland Council

• Auckland Botanic Gardens

Behind the scenesSpecial thanks must go to:

Jan Ramp, Rachael Linton and Sharon Adrichem at Snapper Graphics, Liz Powell and Byrdie Ayres, Richard Mathieson, Alexa Johnston, Rachel de Lambert, Jack Hobbs, Mich Newton, Glen Carter, Brooke Stark, Julie Steele, Natasha Salt, Jo Davidson, Chester Nicholls of Sweetshots Photography, Café Miko, Kim Stretton, Auckland Botanic Gardens staff, Maggie Barry, Mayor Len Brown and his staff, Councillor Sandra Coney, Damon Keen, the team from Gardens with Attitude, Julian Briggs and the Brave Design crew, David from Coopers Creek Vineyard, Tony from John Leech Gallery, Catherine at RadioWorks, John Schroeder and The Digital Dark Room, Art Week 2012 and Southside Festival of Arts 2012 organisers.

To the artists and especially those who, with every exhibition, become temporary members of the Auckland Botanic Gardens family; congratulations, and thank you for helping us bring more people to the Gardens and introduce them to outstanding art.

Lastly, we must thank our volunteers. These people are our regular helpers. They are Friends, neighbours, garden lovers and downright good people! Their assistance in the visitor centre and out and about in the gardens, doing a multitude of tasks, is essential to the success of this special exhibition.

Thank you.

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Jim Wheeler

Richard Wedekind

Elementals group

Tui Hobson

Bev Goodwin

Lucy Bucknall

Regan Gentry

John Oxborough

Mia Hamilton

Todd Douglas

Bronwynne Cornish

Lgop co-op

Bryan Verey

John Edgar

Chris Moore

Jeff Thomson

Gill Gatfield

Llew Summers

Bing Dawe

Jamie Pickernell

Christine Hellyar

Participating artists