The Subject Now

The Subject Now brings together nine artists working in different locations who ask the perennial question ‘who am I?’, but offer new answers to this age-old question. Curator Christina Barton, Director of the Adam Art Gallery, believes that these artists all turn to the idea that the self is not someone with innate qualities, but gains a sense of themselves in relation to others. “These artists suggest that we are not freewheeling individuals”, Barton says, “but rather we are constantly forming a sense of ourselves in relation to people around us”. This exhibition offers a new ‘take’ on how we represent ourselves. Working mainly with photography and video these artists recognise the ever-present role of these media today, and offer a timely set of responses that map the terrain of contemporary experience for viewers to negotiate. This is an ambitious project that showcases artists who are drawing attention in the international art world, some of whom have never before been seen in New Zealand, and who are making innovative use of their media and offering poignant commentary on their situations. Artists in The Subject Now are: Halil Altindere (Turkey), Willie Doherty (Ireland), Daniel du Bern (NZ/UK), et al. (NZ), Terrence Handscomb (NZ/USA), Hye Rim Lee (NZ/US/South Korea), Aernout Mik (Netherlands), Markéta Othová (Czech Republic) and Kan Xuan (China). The exhibitions will be accompanied by a programme of talks, forums and a workshop that will expand on the artistic, theoretical and political implications of each exhibition.