Artists make most of 10m canvases
A discarded piece of wood, glass or plastic is sometimes all it takes to make art. For artist Cheryl Corrado, that thinking has inspired her art for more than two decades.
‘‘I was known as the Furniture Fairy in Atlanta, Georgia, because I often created functional art with furniture discarded on the street sides.’’
Giving something a second life was a source of inspiration for her – something that came close to home.
‘‘In some ways I feel like I have been given a second life because I survived cancer 20 years ago.’’
Samples of her second-life art are on display at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (NZAFA) from today, alongside six other artists in the Solo 45 exhibition.
Each artist has been given free rein over 10 metres of blank wall space – 10 metres squared if they’re a 3D artist.
Curator and artist Greg Chaston says the Solo exhibitions were first established through the NZAFA in 1993 and were designed to showcase between seven and 10 artists, who were generally selected.
The Solo shows dropped off for a while but have made a resurgence, he says, and are proving extremely popular with artists – both experienced and emerging.
‘‘What I try to do is bring in between two to three established artists and a couple of young emerging artists,’’ Chaston says.
‘‘The theme is really about an individual artist who gets 10 metres of wall and they can do their own thing with those 10 metres.’’
He likes curating the exhibitions because he gets the chance to see emerging artists and the work they are producing.
The Solo 45 exhibition is at the Queens Wharf gallery until January 13.
To celebrate the artwork and the artists behind it, the gallery is also hosting a Christmas Cocktail gala evening on Wednesday.
For tickets and details, visit nzafa.com.