bruce hunt

Milford Galleries Dunedin18 Dowling Street (03) 477 7727 [email protected]

2nd - 27th April, 2011

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

BRUCE HUNTThe Backlands

1. BRUCE HUNT, Road to the Goldfields (2010) acrylic on linen, frame (v x h x d

v x h x d): 1144 X 1398 X 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1114 x 1368 x 35 mm

2. BRUCE HUNT, Backlands II - Far from Fuchsia Creek (2010)

acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 1040 x 1243 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1014 x 1217 x 35 mm

3. BRUCE HUNT, Headless North (2010), alkyd oil & acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 867 x 1044 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 837 x 1014 x 35 mm

4. BRUCE HUNT, Avon Burn (2010), acrylic on linen, frame (v x h x d): 1092 x 1396 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1063 x 1370 x 35 mm

5. BRUCE HUNT, Terrain (2010), acrylic on linen, frame (v x h x d): 1043 x 1398 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1013 x 1368 x 35 mm

6. BRUCE HUNT, Backlands (2010) acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d

v x h x d): 828 x 1776 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 803 x 1750 x 35 mm

7. BRUCE HUNT, Headless on Kyeburn - 1636 m (2010/11)

alkyd oil on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 634 x 865 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 607 x 835 x 35 mm

8. BRUCE HUNT, Airstrip (2010/11)


9. BRUCE HUNT, Hakataramea (2010)acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 1044 x 1247 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1014 x 1217 x 35 mm

10. BRUCE HUNT, Cone (2010)


11. BRUCE HUNT, Avon Burn II - on the Shoulders of Pavillion Peak (2010)


12. BRUCE HUNT, Maerewhenua Spur (2010)acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 1094 x 1398 x 54 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1064 x 1370 x 35 mm

13. BRUCE HUNT, The Cape (2004-10) alkyd oil & acrylic on canvas, frame

alkyd oil & acrylic on canvas, frame (v x h x d): 1096 x 1705 x 44 mm, stretcher (v x h x d): 1064 x 1673 x 35 mm

14. BRUCE HUNT, Rocklands - 592 m (2010) alkyd oil on canvas, frame

The politics of use - current and past - is as present in Bruce Hunt’s

exhibition “The Backlands” as rhythm of line, casting light, emergent

shadow and the tectonic structure of the alpine landscape of Central

Otago.

Information accumulates in numerous ways. There’s Hunt’s trademark

topographical accuracy. There’s his rare ability to paint air and the role

it plays in what and how we see. There’s the uncanny sense the viewer

comes to have of participating, of actually being up there, in it,

experiencing that unique and remarkable landscape - surrounded. The

artist takes the viewer on a physical communion.

The signs of man are everywhere just as is his absence. The narratives of

use and consequence appear. A road is carved into the skin of the

landscape and becomes a vein for hope. A trig station battered by

climate and the necessity of exposed placement acknowledges light

and reveals a different materiality.

The high, encircled vantage point and the establishment of multiple

lines of sight directly interact with the forms and folds of ceaselessly

interlocking landscape structures. Hunt’s topographical precision is as

much a fact as how the geomorphology (the living architecture) is

delivered. Added to this is a valley by valley phenomenon – the

variances of weather, the revelations of what light exposes or hides in

shadow.

In a change of medium, a mix of alkaloid and oil, Hunt builds an

intriguing radiance into works such as “Headless North” (2010). The

foreground focus rises up in these, detail emerges. In “The Cape”

(2004-10), an environmental poem of isolation and beauty, a remnant

tree is lit by soft light.

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

E X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S T

1 Road to the Goldfields (2010) 15,000

2 Backlands II - Far from Fuchsia Creek (2010) 15,000

3 Headless North (2010) 12,500

4 Avon Burn (2010) 15,000

5 Terrain (2010) 15,000

6 Backlands (2010) 17,500

7 Headless on Kyeburn - 1636 m (2010/11) 6,500

8 Airstrip (2010/11) 6,000

9 Hakataramea (2010) 15,000

10 Cone (2010) 6,000

11 Avon Burn II - on the Shoulders of Pavillion Peak (2010) 6,000

12 Maerewhenua Spur (2010) 15,000

13 The Cape (2004-10) 18,000

14 Rocklands - 592 m (2010) 7,000

Bruce Hunt 2011 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

P a g e | 1

BRUCE HUNT b. 1964, lives Dunedin

Lunar (A Dry Year) (2008-09) Critically acclaimed artist Bruce Hunt conveys an authoritative sense of location and vernacular, his

paintings capturing the enduring majesty of the Central Otago landscape.

"Hunt's epic depictions of the Otago and South Canterbury landscapes are powerfully emotional works

which sweep the eye over what appear to be seemingly endless sinewy vistas." (1)

Imbued with the romantic sublime, these panoramic vistas are more than mere documentation. Hunt’s

works evoke an emotional and spiritual response to the land. He explores the history, geology and myth

that envelops the vast empty tussock-clad hills and arid plains of the Lindis, Danseys and Dunstan Trail

regions.

The landscape, often depicted in the glow of dawn or dusk, achieves remarkable depth, luminosity and

atmosphere. Masterfully, Hunt captures the subtle play of light and consequent shadow. The muscular

geology of the land seems clothed in folds of soft velvet as he layers translucent paint in warm shades

over cool to produce an inner radiance.

Hunt spends much of his time traversing sheep trails or old gold mining paths. “As an artist my fuel is the

anticipation of discovering new territories but also the seasoned familiarity of places returned to again

and again.” (2) There is a sense that these paintings are inhabited both by the artist and the viewer. We

are invited into the works, asked to stand atop a lonely ridgeline or evening valley, and consider the

tension between the fleeting nature of humanity and the timeless land we occupy.

Remote trails forged through the isolated landscape, interspersed by the occasional water trough or

distant fence line, are the only reference Hunt makes to humankind. Hunt has observed the advance of

pylons through the Dunstan Pass, and the current threat of the Project Hayes wind farm proposal makes

him anxious. His affinity with the landscape has led Hunt to stress the “urgent need to keep these few

remaining landscapes as pristine as possible.” (3)

Bruce Hunt was born in Wellington 1964 and currently lives in Dunedin. He attended Wellington College

1978-82 and Victoria University 1983-84. Hunt has been practicing as a full time artist since 1983 and

exhibits regularly throughout New Zealand. His work is held in private and corporate collections

throughout New Zealand, including the National Bank.

1. 'Top Ten', The Christchurch Press, 2004.

2. Artist Statement 2007

3. Ibid

Bruce Hunt 2011 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

P a g e | 2

BRUCE HUNT b. 1964, lives Dunedin

EDUCATION

1983 – 84 Victoria University Wellington

1978 – 82 Wellington College studying Art under Phillip Markham

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2011 The Backlands, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2010 Central, milford galleries queenstown

2009 Flight, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Auckland

New Works, MG, Auckland

2008 Summit Fever, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2007 The Ochre Triangle II, milford galleries queenstown

The Ochre Triangle, Milford Galleries Dunedin

New Work, The Art House, Christchurch

2006 Trail of Dreams, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

Art House, Christchurch

2005 Beneath the Surface, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

2004 Brown Velvet, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

Lands End, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

2003 Into Shadow, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

A Reflection Of Time, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

2002 Valleys of the Lindis, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

New Work, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

2001 The Distant Landscape, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

2000 Face Of The Land, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

Road to Erewhon, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

1999 Suter Society Guest Artist, Suter Gallery, Nelson

Edge Of The World, Ferner Gallery, Auckland

1998 Ferner Gallery, Auckland

Ferner Gallery, Wellington

1997 45 Degrees South, Ferner Gallery, Wellington

1988 North, Molesworth Gallery, Wellington

1986 Molesworth Gallery, Wellington

1984 Moray Gallery, Dunedin

1983 Molesworth Gallery, Wellington

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 The Earl Street Journal, milford galleries queenstown

2009 Southern Traverse, milford galleries queenstown

Southern Landscape, milford galleries queenstown

2008 Richard Dunlop, Bruce Hunt & Hannah Kidd, milford galleries auckland

Summer Show, Milford Galleries Dunedin

Selected Works, milford galleries queenstown

2007 Masterworks 2007, milford galleries queenstown

Looking South, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2006 Summer Show, Milford Galleries Dunedin

Location South, milford galleries queenstown

2005 Southern Landscape, Milford Galleries Dunedin

1996 Coutts Mercedes, Auckland

1985 NZ Academy of Fine Arts Group Show, Wellington

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2007 Moore, Christopher, ‘Unfolding the Mystery’, Christchurch Press. October 2007

Maynard, Anna, ‘Protect Our Inspirational Landscapes..’, Southland Times, June 2007

Benson, Nigel, ‘Central Otago Canvas for Artist’, Otago Daily Times, February 2007

2006 Museth, Tom ‘Great Southern Land’, Urbis Landscape Magazine, Autumn 2006

2004 ‘Top Ten Kiwi Artists’, The Christchurch Press, January 2004

bruce hunt

Documents

x h x dv x h x d

stretcher v x h x d

frame alkyd oil acrylic

bruce hunts exhibition

remarkable landscape

casting light

headless north

narratives of use