ANGELS AND DEMONS

19 July - 24 August 2008

Angels and Demons is an exhibition of late 20^th century New Zealand Neo-Expressionism from The Suter Art Gallery collection.

Neo-Expressionism was an international art style that gained strength in New Zealand from the late-1970s.  It was a reaction against the dominance of minimalism and returned to literal and figurative subjects, albeit in an abstracted way. 

The term, Neo-Expressionism, refers to the influence of the early 20^th century Expressionists, such as Emil Nolde (1867-1956), Max Beckmann (1884-1950) and George Grosz (1893-1959), whose works was “characterised by an obsession with political and social realities expressed through apocalyptic visions and hectic attitudes towards form”. [1]   The return of to these concerns in the late 20^th century has been attributed to post-World War awareness and paranoia; that “none of our observations about the world can be made in comfortable isolation from the … nightmarish possibility of a self-imposed apocalypse”.[2]  

 From this awareness comes a sense of anxiety that is given dramatic example in the painting by Alexis Neal (right), where the demon-like figure is about to be engulfed by a tidal wave.  Equally, the calm repose of the dove in Gary Collins’ work (opposite right) refers to the biblical story of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood – itself a fable about human attitudes and behaviour.  Also see Phillipa Blair’s abstract painting Angel and Aeroplane (left), a contemporary interpretation of the Tower of Babel story.

Each of these paintings has been selected for strong emotions they express, emotions that often work in opposition to each other: exuberance slides into turmoil, tranquillity gives way to anxiety.  This is supported by the contrast of colour (and the shade between), gestural mark-making and references to psychological or spiritual subjects that have positive or negative connotations.  Collectively, the art works create an experience that is a fine balance between good and evil and ask more questions than give answers.