MY CHOICE: Costas Thrasyvoulou / March 2022

Peter Peryer Wrestlers 2002, 2002.14.1

“One of the most inspirational teachers I had was my photography teacher, Mr. (David) Browne. He was eccentric in all the best ways, and I remember watching a bonkers documentary about Peter Peryer in his class. In the same way this photo makes you look at The Wrestlers differently, Mr. Browne made us look at things differently too. Every time I see a Peter Peryer work I think of Mr. Browne and how he pushed our perspectives. I’m sure somebody has picked this already, but I don’t care. There are so many facets to this arresting image.”

Joan Grehan Aspects of Landscape 1983, 2001.29.1

“I just like looking at this – I don’t need to say much more. Joan has a lovely eye for composition and colour despite this being a very unconventional landscape painting. As the title suggests, all the aspects are there but not as you expect to see them.”

Andrew Ross View from a Barn near Turakina 16/3/2009 2009, 2010.5.4

“There is something quite cinematic about this image. Andrew is very good at putting you in places that are both familiar and foreign – Whanganui seems so strange and mysterious through his lens. Both he, and Richard Wotton, are such important photographers from a documentary standpoint as they have captured so many scenes that are gone now – it’s a godsend that the Sarjeant hold so much of their work. This image reminds me of John Ford’s ‘The Searchers’, which is why it struck me. I guess Turakina is a bit like the Wild West.”

David Murray Resign 2006, 2008.10.1

“In 2006 I was lucky enough to collaborate with David by making a film to project onto his cast glass. As a 19-year-old it was scary to be working with such a respected figure, however, David and his partner Emma Camden, were so encouraging. I remember the congratulatory call from David to say we’d won the Arts Review – I was in a Wellington burger-joint sweating over a deep fryer because I couldn’t get my shift off to go to the opening! Resign was part of the wider body of work David was doing at the time and I find it very poignant. There is a lot going on here; grief, despair, but also the relief of letting go. This was a brave direction for David to take and it’s amongst my favourite works that he has done. “

Gretchen Albrecht The Fire and The Rose 1984, 1986.7.1

“It would be remiss of me not to pick an Albrecht. In sixth form Art History when I was falling hard for Mark Rothko I had no idea that we had our own master of colour field painting in Gretchen Albrecht. Going on fieldtrips to the Sarjeant and seeing works by Albrecht (and also Philip Clairmont) were foundational. I don’t think I really ‘got’ what abstract painting was until I saw this, it was another one of those perspective pushing experiences. The scale of the work and the impact it has from a purely aesthetic standpoint is incredible.”

Tia Ranginui Untitled (From Stolen Light Series) 2016, 2016.2.1

“For my final pick I wanted to go with something I’ve seen more recently. It was tough because the Sarjeant have acquired brilliant photographic work by Roberta Thornley and Connor Clarke, as well as Tia Ranginui. This trio are such a strong force in contemporary photography in my opinion and their respective exhibitions at the Sarjeant over the past few years have been outstanding. I chose this because it’s just so striking in every sense, it commands attention. I feel like Tia is really moving in interesting directions, and she manages to maintain a cohesive style even when she is testing the boundaries. I can’t wait to see what she does next. ”