Curator Essay

ICON-OCLASTIC : ZEALANDIA

July 2022. From the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 to the heritage landscape of Government House Auckland NZ, curator Ineke Dane explores the systems challenges and new directions heralded by the stone monument Zealandia  its inaugural presentation in Venice, and its new ‘site intuit’ on the volcanic slopes of Maungawhau, Mount Eden:

From time immemorial utopia has sat on the horizon, in sight but out of reach, a mirage. Defined infinitely, the concept of a place and time where all are free to be and live equally is what drives us, regardless of the process. ... Aotearoa New Zealand artist Gill Gatfield’s sculptural gesture to the future, Zealandia, confronts this discussion. Through the figure ‘X’ (a chromosome, a kiss, a Roman numeral), it frames our pivotal moment in time by referencing the past, while simultaneously operating as both zeitgeist and emblem for a world to aspire to ... 

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