The arts this week

A selection of performances and exhibitions over the coming week:

NZ International Comedy Festival
Until May 20

Chris Cox
Rangatira Room, Q Theatre
Until May 5

This weekend saw the NZ International Comedy Festival arrive at Q in force as a array of comedians take over every available space to fill the building with laughter. There will be 144 performances across three venues in the coming three weeks.

The award winning Chris Cox, hailed by the Guardian as "one of the most exciting entertainers in Britain", sold out his season at the NZ International Comedy Festival in 2010, and now returns with a brand new show, Fatal Distraction. This self proclaimed mind reader, who can't read minds promises a show full of magic, psychology, body language, influencing, devilish good looks- and lying.

Frances Hodgkins, The Expatriate Years 1901 - 1947
Jonathan Grant Gallery, Auckland

In 2007, 20 previously unknown watercolours by Frances Hodgkins were purchased by the Auckland City Art Gallery from the Parisian art dealer Mathieu Néouze. Néouze and his associate, who discovered the collection at Monfort-l’Amaury, retained one work each for their own private collections: Tunny Boats in the Harbour, Concarneau c.1910 and Still Life with Fish c. 1910. In 2009 these two valuable watercolours were located in Paris where they were purchased and returned to Auckland. These two important paintings are now offered for sale for the first time on the New Zealand market.

Frances Hodgkins is hailed as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent artists and her works are held in the permanent collections of most major New Zealand public galleries and in numerous UK galleries, including the Tate Britain, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Manchester City Art Gallery. This extensive exhibition includes works from every decade of her career in England and Europe.

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Auckland Town Hall
May 3
Garry Walker CONDUCTOR
Li-Wei Qin CELLO
Haydn Symphony No.44
Ross Harris Cello Concerto
Brahms Symphony No.1

Ross Harris’ new Cello Concerto was specially written for Li-Wei Qin, and is described by the compser as being more extended than he normally writes and that it had “really, really sparse textures with the cello and maybe bassoon. The parts look quite spare in many of the instruments, actually. It’s very lightly scored, I suppose, and that’s entirely to do with the fact that I’m trying to balance the cello with the ensemble. It’s a huge challenge and hardly any composers actually manage to get it right. That’s been one of my concerns.”

Li-Wei has enjoyed successful artistic collaborations with the London Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Van Zweden, Melbourne Symphony and Viotti, Ulster Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony and the China Philharmonic. Li-Wei has also appeared with chamber orchestras such as the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Kremerata Baltika.
 

Auckland Theatre Company
A Midsummer’s Nights Dream by William Shakespeare
Maidment Theatre
May 3-26

As Shakespeare says in the play “The course of true love never did run smooth." In this comedy, set on an enchanted summer's evening, four young lovers find themselves entangled in a bewildering game of lust and longing. In a magical forest where a powerful fairy king and queen are at war, nothing is quite as it seems: mischievous spirits run riot, confusion reigns and love conquers all.

The comedy stars Stuart Devine Brooke Williams, Andrew Grainger, Peter Daube, Alison Bruce Laurel Devine.

Assume Nothing; Peter Peryer: Other (Portraits 1975 – 2011); and Te Ata tu: the new light
Gus Fisher Gallery
May 4-June 23

Assume Nothing
An exhibition of new work by six early career artists: Richard Bryant, Richard Frater, Anya Henis, Schaeffer Lemalu, Patrick Lundberg and Martyn Reynolds. All six graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in 2005. Although five went on to establish the collective A Centre For Art, the connections or sympathies drawn-out for this exhibition are found in the particular characteristics of their practices, rather than the happenstance of where and when they studied. They have each gone on to realise work of remarkable subtlety that is both materially and conceptually rigorous. The exhibition’s central concern is with the deceptive modesty of their practices, where apparent simplicity or lightness of touch belies the works’ rigour. These are all artists whose work rewards patience and attention, where its specific qualities are not apprehended quickly. They quietly demand concentration and consideration that, over time, reveals greater rewards.
 

Peter Peryer: Other (Portraits 1975 – 2011)
This exhibition highlights the intermittent periods of portrait photography that Peter Peryer has completed. Showcasing work from 1975 through to 2011, these portraits are collectively titled ‘Other’, in distinction from the ‘Erika’ suite and self-portraits. The exhibition illuminates Peryer’s approach to the human form, offering single portraits that are intricately planned and characterised by an enticing quality of mystery. While his later portraits are more tightly cropped and are often set against a blank backdrop, there remains a perceptible thread of stillness and mystery that runs through the entirety of his work.

The exhibition has been made available by the McNamara Galleryas part of the Auckland Festival of Photography.
 

Te Ata tu: the new light
A selection of works from the University of Auckland Art Collection that reflect on cycles of renewal. This exhibition considers the flow of time from one day to the next – of farewells to the past and new beginnings. The artists include Bill Culbert, Hye Rim Lee, Lisa Reihana, Connie Samaras, Paul Tangata and John Weeks.

Te Ata tu means "just before the dawn." In late May this is when the Matariki constellation, also known at the Pleiades, rises from the same position as the sun to signal the winter solstice and the beginning of Aotearoa’s New Year. For Māori, this is a time to reflect on the past year, plan ahead, and welcome the new generation.