Most days I walk through the doorway to 147 Cuba Street. This is hard to avoid as it's the only (safe) way to access Enjoy Gallery. I am, like countless other others I imagine, quite attached to 147's eclectic and resonant doorway - an icon that has become synonymous with Cuba Street, and with Peter McLeavey's gallery. One day I remember Arlo Edwards doing Peter a favour and stripping back a few dozen of the countless layers of posters, drawings, and all else plasterable that seems to gravitate and find its way there. After a while he pointed out an old Misery sketch his efforts had uncovered. A testament to the layering of history imbued within this small exterior space. I would argue that without this doorway, Cuba Street just wouldn't be Cuba Street...and where would that leave us?
Anyway, on my way past this morning I noticed this print: a print of a painting of 147's doorway, plastered in 147's doorway (No doubt the humour and/or irony of this action was not lost on the person accountable). The print is of a painting by one Jo Hardy - apparently being shown at the Yvonne Rust gallery in Whangarei - titled Art History 101 (NZ): darkening Peter McLeavey's doorway.
Aside from liking the painting myself, the title raises a couple of interesting questions for me. Like can art history (for that matter New Zealand's art history) be recalled through the history of dealer galleries with equal effect as it can be through those of public art spaces, and forums for art criticism? And to that effect, what does the comparative absence of 'the general public' and its criticism mean for the evolution of these dealer galleries, and furthermore for this hypothetical record of art history? Since Dealers are motivated by the market, and not the public at large, might they be giving the art public what they truly want - what's in demand -without it being packaged and easy to swallow: therefore being more critical and less subjective than our institutions?
Nice painting though Jo.
post and image by jeremy
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1 comment:
Cool to see the old doorway rendered in paint. I'd be inclined to think the artist was being somewhat ironic in her choice of title. Maybe not.
Your article touched on some interesting ideas Jeremy. It's a good question to ask whether dealer galleries are freer and therefore more critical sites than catious publicly funded galleries.
I'm not sure that I agree that dealers galleries are without 'general public' or more outside art history tho. They're regularly referenced in art history volumes. Have been since the 60's, when commercial galleries began to proliferate in NZ galleries like Peter's and Barry Lett in Auckland...food for thought anyway.
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