CORRUGATIONS – THE ART OF JEFF THOMSON

Kete, 2013.  Collection of Jeff Thomson and Shona Cameron.  Image: Rory Thomson

CORRUGATIONS – THE ART OF JEFF THOMSON

24 May – 21 August, 2014

Corrugations is a significant exhibition hailing three decades of work by Kiwi sculptor Jeff Thomson.  Known as ‘the iron man of Australasia’, the artist’s trademark style came to the fore in the early ’80s when he crafted a series of mailboxes from roadside materials accumulated during walks near his home base at Portobello, south of Dunedin.  He has both a national and international standing as a sculptor, completing works including a giant gumboot, iron curtains, and an iconic HQ Holden station wagon, as well as working overseas including a substantial project in the South of France in 2008.

Corrugations is curated around the processes Thomson uses to make his sculptures, e.g. moulding, shaping, cutting and printing.  Corrugated ‘chooks’, French knitting and bouquets of flowers are all part of this new exhibition. These are drawn from the artist’s own collection at his Helensville studio, and from private and institutional collections.

Accompanying the exhibition is the publication of the same name, by Tauranga Art Gallery Director Penelope Jackson and University of Auckland senior lecturer Dr Robin Woodward – which examines the fundamentals of Thomson’s artistic practice.