The Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery launches spring season line-up of local and international artists

The Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery in Parnell is launching its spring season, which features a line-up of locally and internationally renowned artists. The season will include a series of unique exhibitions at Saatchi & Saatchi’s “not your ordinary gallery,” which opened in 2012 as a creative hub to inspire staff and the public with interesting art and events.

What: Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery

Where: Level 3, Saatchi & Saatchi Building. 123 The Strand, Parnell

Open: 10:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday (weekend appointments available on request)

Cost: Free

Girl Comics – Ralphi

29 August – 10 October

From the 29th August, the Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery will feature an exhibit of Ralphi’s work, Girl Comics. The show will reveal an imbroglio of anecdotes and tall-tales, snippets and blips, cigarettes and whiskey, and questionable customers.

Says Ralphi: “I’m really excited to be showcasing my work at the Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery – I never thought my first ever exhibition would be of this scale, and to fill it with comics is fairly nerve-racking. The show has provided me with the push I needed to clear the backlog of ideas from my head and finally get them out on paper and in front of people.

“My comics are drawn from my own experiences and those of my friends, who serve as my unwitting muses. Common themes of friendship, cosmic voyages, and everyday human and animal truths are impatiently inked and laced with a dark wit. I love reading comics and I hope guests to the exhibit will enjoy reading mine.”

10 year Retrospective – Kathryn Wilson

31 October – 5 December

This year, Wilson (left) celebrates her ten year anniversary in business.  Since 2003, Wilson has carved out a path for herself as New Zealand’s premier footwear designer.

The exhibition will comprise ten installations, each one representing a year in Wilson’s business history.  Each installation is a celebration of the people who have helped Wilson make it this far, mixed with the cultural context of the time that has shaped Wilson’s brand.

Aided by some of the country’s top fashion photographers, videographers and stylists, this exhibition will incorporate multi-media touch-points through which guests can literally step into the shoes of one of our nation’s top female entrepreneurs and business success stories.

Says Wilson: “We want to celebrate ten years in business – for any company, it’s a big achievement.  But our nature isn’t to look back and dwell on past successes, but rather to raise a glass to the amazing people who have helped us along the way, and of course to look forward to another ten years of even greater success and bolder ideas.”

Life – John Hall

12 December – 30 January

Rounding out the season from 12th December is the exhibit of Hall’s work, Life.  Hall predominantly works with polystyrene which he carves, coats, and then paints. For his exhibition, he has drawn inspiration from his ancestors, the land and sea, life’s emotions, as well as his many years spent living in parts of Europe where he first started his love of expressing himself through art. Hall now resides in Whakatane where he dedicates his days to his passion.

Says Hall: “This is the first ever exhibition of my work, and it’s a real honour and privilege to be chosen to showcase it at the amazing Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery.

“When I create, I must listen to music. Listening to Maori or Greek music seems to take me where I need to be and I find it influences my work – guests to the gallery will see this inspiration come through. I love art and the journey it takes me on, and I’m looking forward to showcasing my creations.”