GLEN WOLFGRAMM

17 July - 3 August 2007

The paintings in the long awaited new exhibition by artist Glen Wolfgramm are an explosive mix of gritty urban realism and Island romanticism. They strongly reflect the fusion of Polynesian and Palagi cultures in urban centres like Auckland, the world’s largest Polynesian city, and express some of the tensions that arise between differing cultural traditions. 

Wolfgramm, born and raised in New Zealand of Irish/Tongan born parents, looks at Tonga as a ‘foreign homeland’ and struggles with a sense of alienation from his paternal culture. Occupying a territory enriched by artists such as Ani O’Neill, John Pule and Fatu Feu’u, Wolfgramm references Celtic and Tongan motifs using contemporary media and symbols, creating work that critic David Eggleton, credits with ‘revitalising the imagery of traditional (Polynesian) art forms’. 

In the large, glossy canvases that make up this exhibition, his first since 2004, intense, saturated acrylic colour is caught in a sharply contrasting framework of inky black hooks, lines and ladders and other indefinable symbols that crisscross the surface. The imagery, while uncannily familiar, defies any singular definition, remaining inscrutable and mysteriously veiled.  

In his four previous exhibitions, this self taught artist has captured the attention of collectors and critics, placing works into public and private collections throughout the country and drawing enthusiastic reviews from local critics and visiting international media. Glen Wolfgramm’s paintings are a fine example of why Euro/Polynesian work is now at the cutting edge of art in New Zealand and the wider Pacific Rim.

To read a review in the NZ Herald please click here