If seeking asylum is having your life pulled up by its roots, then being transplanted to New Zealand soil as a refugee is its regeneration–in all its difficult beauty.
Just as vital as the visual component of this exhibit is the talking space that will be created within the gallery walls during the exhibit’s tenure. Public talks will accompany the exhibition. Guest speakers will discuss our rapidly changing situation in New Zealand, our region, and the world, with refugees invited to give their perspective on the issues at hand and tell their stories in a multi-culturally curated ‘Human Library’. Just as people can ‘check out’ a book—individuals, school groups, church groups, anyone—can sign up to ‘check out’ a person and their life experience as a refugee in this country.
The conference and the exhibition will host a dual launch and reception on May 7, 6.30pm at the Gallery.
The exhibition is funded through donations and volunteer labour. To support the exhibition, donating and sharing our Give-A-Little page on social media is a great start:
Alistair Guthrie, Photographer
For over three decades Alistair Guthrie has been chronicling New Zealand through the pointed beauty of his lens. His award-winning art, design, advertising and editorial work has been featured by major advertising agencies throughout Australasia, and is often seen in Metro, North & South, The Listener and Ideologue, among many others.
His lush portraiture work, featured in this project, has captured this country’s best and brightest, ranging from politicians and thinkers (Helen Clark, Dame Ann Salmon), captains of high tech (Bill Gates, Steve Balmer), sportsmen (Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter, Colin Mead), to musicians (Lorde, Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn), and artists and entertainers (Dick Frizzell, Reese Darby, The Topp Twins), to name just a few.
He has been a featured artist at John Leach Gallery, now Gow Langsford, and most recently was given a fifty-page retrospective of his career in F11photography magazine. He has also been the recipient of the prestigious Brian Blake Memorial prize.
“To have something to offer, to contribute to humanity, to start a discussion, to open eyes, all of which are more difficult is this saturated medium, would be a fine thing.”
His work can be seen on his website at: http://www.alistairguthrie.com