MY CHOICE: Solomon Mortimer / November 2021
November 2021: Solomon Mortimer
Each month a member of our community is invited to browse our online collection and select six of their favourite artworks. Each My Choice selection, together with personal responses to the works, will be available to view on the Sarjeant Gallery website for one month at a time. The November 2021 My Choice has been selected by Solomon Mortimer and is available to view until 30 November, 2021.
Solomon Mortimer was born in Tāmaki Makaurau. Currently he is undertaking the Tylee Cottage residency through the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui with his partner Zahra Killeen-Chance. He was the 2019 recipient of the Marti Friedlander Photographic Laureate. Since 2012 he has been regularly exhibiting both nationally and abroad and has prints held in public collections including Christchurch City Art Gallery, Sir George Grey Special Collection, James Wallace Arts Trust and the Auckland University Collection. His book works are held in most significant library collections nationally and have also toured in exhibitions internationally (including the recent acquisition of two books by the British Library). In 2015, his publication ‘F.16 G3 20/25/30’ won the inaugural New Zealand Photo Book of the Year self-published prize. Solomon holds a Masters of Fine Arts with first class honours from Elam School of Fine Arts and is represented by Anna Miles Gallery in Auckland. He has published 29 artist books, including ‘A Sun Dance in Sandringham’ in 2019 which was distributed as PhotoForum issue #90. His latest book ‘Studies of the Suited Figure’ was published in 2020.
Frank Denton Premonition (Kai Iwi beach) 1930, 1965/1/45
“I visited Kai Iwi beach recently, and while there I was trying to work out how to make an image. A good foreground rock solved my problem! So to find this image by Denton, employing a similar rock some 90 years earlier was a lovely discovery. The moonlight presents the landscape in such a wonderful tone.”
Wayne Barrar Black coral in resin, shipboard display, Fiordland 2000, 2000/11/1
“I found it very hard to choose an image from the gallery’s impressive holdings of Barrar’s work. His ongoing ‘Landscape of Change’ project is a favourite of mine and so editing down my initial selection of prints proved very tricky. However I was surprised by how immediately I was struck by this image and could not shake it from my mind.”
Bruce Foster Tiphead at Greymouth 1990, 1992/13/1
“Over the years I have always enjoyed looking through Foster’s book ‘Last Saturday’ in which these images are found. It is a highly entertaining glimpse into our national love of a weekend full of recreational activities.”
Marie Shannon Sunday Afternoon 1985, 1985/23/1
“This is a delightful image for me. Due both to the very relatable scene of a Sunday spent lounging, and the complexity/precision of the scenes construction. Recorded in great detail across four sheets of film and meticulously printed to ensure continuity. I would recommend looking at it for a good, long while, as it continues to offer up surprises.”
Anne Noble Hiruharama (Jerusalem) 1982, 1982/47/72
“My selection from the collection could not be complete without an image from Noble’s ongoing work around the Whanganui River. There are so many interesting and powerful images in the project so far that I could never choose a favourite. This image is truly haunting in its beauty and darkness.”
Richard Wotton Church, Turakina 1975, 1982/37/2
“I first came across this image fairly recently while looking through early issues of PhotoForum Magazine. Even reproduced at a small scale in the magazine it was clearly an interesting image with a keen composition and good use of high contrast lighting.”
Category
Past exhibitions 2021
