Bare Rock and Backbones Outdoor Exhibition

In 1840, there was sea water at Britomart. Waka (canoes) were launched from tidal mudflats, and a prominent headland stretched out into the harbour near the spot of the exhibition. There was a Maori pa (fort) on the headland. A colonial military fort was then built, which later became an orphanage, before being torn down as the headland itself was demolished to fill in the bay. Auckland’s first colonial settlers arrived here, lifting their belongings and their skirts or coats above the mud. From this shore they surveyed their new home, and planned new lives and a new city. The 40 years that followed their arrival was a period of massive cultural and environmental change.

We invited four emerging artists to find something that was of interest to them in the stories of Britomart’s early history, and asked them each to make a new artwork. The four paintings are the first in a series of exhibitions by emerging artists that will be installed in an outdoor exhibition at Britomart. The exhibition title, Bare Rock and Backbones, refers to the sheer determination of the people of this place in forging the fledgling city from rock and mud. Bare Rock and Backbones was commissioned by Cooper and Company, who own and manage the Britomart site, and developed by Rob Garrett Contemporary Fine Art Ltd.

The event runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until 31 August 2009.

Event listed by Britomart

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