Sacha Lees, Unit 5, 2007. Courtesy of Sacha Lees. On loan from the Sloane Collection
Exhibition that celebrates New Zealand's Award Winning Sci-Fi and Fantasy Artists opens December 11
The Dowse Art Museum is excited to announce the world première on December 11 of White Cloud Worlds, an exhibition of never-before-seen science fiction and fantasy artwork from Aotearoa New Zealand, ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’.
‘As varied as the land they inhabit is the mind of the artists contained in White Cloud Worlds,”says film director, Guillermo Del Toro, “…these are images to get lost in.”
White Cloud Worlds uncovers New Zealand’s sci-fi and fantasy illustrators, designers
and conceptual artists and is a rare chance to celebrate their extraordinary skill and
technique as they create worlds from the imagination. The exhibition is in
conjunction with the launch of a book of the same name, featuring contributions by
leading international sci-fi and fantasy film directors and producers, like Del Toro
and Richard Taylor.
“They (the artists) will transport you to the Uchronisms of a World War One landscape
transversed by giant robots, the painful, delicate love story of a centaur and its lady and the heroics of barbarians and female warriors, amongst many others . . ..” Guillermo Del Toro
“… the artists have gone beyond simply the creation of a beautiful painting and embedded a truly unique idea into their art, “ Richard Taylor
White Cloud Worlds features the work of 27 artists, many of whom have been involved
with Lord of The Rings, Avatar, Wizards of the Coast and Marvel Comics. The exhibition
includes sketches, concept drawings, finished prints, sculpture and oil on canvas work. The artists include: Greg Broadmore, creator of Dr. Grordbort's Rayguns and co-designer, with Christian Pearce and Ben Wootten, of the huge tripod sculpture in Wellingtons’ Courtney Place; Weta sculptor Jamie Beswarick, the man behind the final look of Gollum as well as the cave troll in Moria for Lord of the Rings; Gus Hunter, Weta Workshop’s Senior Concept Artist whose parents emigrated from Samoa to Porirua in the 1950s where Gus grew up inspired by Disney Marvel and D.C. comic books; and Jeremy Bennett, Art Director and Concept Artist for Valve, a Seattle entertainment software and technology company that creates award-winning computer games. There are three female artists in the exhibition, Sacha Lees, Rebekah Houlguin and Claire Hackett.
White Cloud Worlds is a partnership between The Dowse Art Museum and Ignite Inc, a small company lead by Paul Tobin and Kate Jorgensen that is dedicated to the celebration of individual creativity through collective projects.
Paul Tobin has worked as a Concept Designer at Weta Workshop since 2003 and is the Director of Ignite Inc. He also teaches Illustration at Massey University and works as a freelance concept designer and illustrator. Paul has a Bachelor of Design (Hons), Massey University College of Creative Arts and a Bachelor of Arts, Victoria University.
White Cloud Worlds, the book, is a 128 page anthology of New Zealand fantasy and
science fiction artworks, the first of its kind. It’s published by Harper Collins.
White Cloud Worlds
New Zealand Science-Fiction and Fantasy Art
11 December 2010 – 13 March 2011
The Dowse | FREE ENTRY
www.dowse.org.nz www.facebook.com/thenewdowse
Media enquiries and images:
Rachel Healy
Communications Manager
T 04 560 1477, 0274 610 271
E rachel.healy@huttcity.govt.nz