Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

In partnership with the Otago University Press, we are delighted to announce poet and fiction writer Serie Barford as the 2011 recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency.

Barford has been publishing her work since 1985 and first had a short story in Landfall in 1987. After the 2007 publication of Tapa Talk, her third book of poetry, she returned to writing short stories, and this spring will use the Residency to work on a collection at Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Serie Barford says ‘I’m delighted to be the recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency. I’ve so many ideas and I’m grateful for the opportunity to establish creative space in a beautiful location. I’ll forget about the demands of my day job and will immerse myself in storytelling for a while. Fa’afetai tele lava.’

The stories in the collection are based on the concept of teu le va, the Samoan notion of taking care of relationships within and between the visible and invisible worlds.

Michael Seresin says ‘the creative world, in all its manifestations is a tough one to survive in, let alone thrive. I hope the powerful land & seascape of Waterfall Bay will provide a haven for Serie to find some stimulus to help her undoubted talent as a writer and poet. I love her work and know she is deserving of this award.’

Seresin Landfall Residency 2010

Alongside Otago University Press, we are delighted to announce New Zealand writer and curator Wystan Curnow as the winner of the second Seresin Landfall Residency.

Wystan Curnow is a writer, curator, editor and educator who has worked in the arts for 40 years, publishing 30 books and numerous articles, reviews and poems.

He will spend the six-week residency in Tuscany working on a book on prominent New Zealand artist Colin McCahon. Wystan says 'it is taking a bit of time to sink in - you don't count on such outcomes.'

Michael Seresin says the quality of the 2010 applicants made a final decision very difficult, however he felt it was important to support Wystan Curnow's latest work.

'The project that Mr Curnow is working on has an enormous amount of merit, not least because Colin McCahon is such a pivotal figure in New Zealand art. I believe we should contribute anything we can to get this work completed.'

Mr Curnow says 'McCahon was a friend of my family, my mother especially. As a secondary school art student I was selected for an advanced class at the Auckland City Art Gallery, taught partly by McCahon. As a university student I hung out with him at the Gallery and in the pub after work.'

Curnow adds 'my writing and curating of McCahon work is notable for shifting attention to his later language-based works at a time when his landscape work was preferred by most critics, and for introducing McCahon to an international audience first in Australia and later in Europe.'

For more information about Mr Curnow and the 2010 Seresin Landfall Residency, please visit our website.

Down the Rabbit Hole

The Wellington City Gallery re-opened last week after some major renovations and we were there for the opening celebrations.

As the official wine supplier of the Wellington City Gallery, Seresin wines were served alongside the opening night menu created by the team at Nikau Cafe.

In fitting style the gallery re-opened with the eagerly awaited Yayoi Kusama exhibition. ‘Mirrored Years’ features much of Kusama’s earlier seminal work, alongside some new creations.

The Japanese artist describes herself as the “modern Alice in Wonderland”, and certainly creates art unlike any other. A prominent figure in the art world of the 1960s, Kusama’s work is described as idiosyncratic and consistently original. She is considered one of the most acclaimed and respected contemporary artists working today.

For more information on the exhibition, check out the City Gallery Website.

Richard Reddaway soundscape at Suite

Seresin Estate is pleased to support the exhibition of a new sound installation at Suite Gallery in Newtown, Wellington, opening on March 14. Richard Reddaway, a contemporary sculptor and installation artist, will design and build series of speakers, blurring the lines between architecture, design and art to create beautiful objects that represent ‘chaotic growth.’ He sees his speaker work like a city – an explosion of human growth where objects are built upon, creating an urban sprawl full of noise. He will design, build and finish all the speakers himself and is working to have a specially composed soundscape played through his work. You can check out some of Reddaway's work at the gallery's website. The exhibition runs until April 4.

View from the top of NZ (House)

Seresin Estate is pleased to support the exhibition of works by Peter McIntyre OBE at Jonathan Grant Galleries in Parnell, opening on October 25th.

Peter McIntyre OBE is a New Zealand artist of distinction and renown. In the 30's he became known as one of New Zealand's most innovative artists and in 1941 was appointed New Zealand's official war artist serving directly under General Bernard Freyberg.

Having travelled extensively, the exhibition features many of McIntyre's favourite themes and locations - from rural New Zealand and abroad. Images of all the paintings can be seen on the gallery's website.

The image of McIntyre's work shown here, is Panorama of London with Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's and the Thames beyond from the rooftop of New Zealand House, 1963. (Hey, you can almost see Michael Seresin's house from here !)

The exhibition runs until November 12th.

Lovely Vessels

When Michael Seresin saw work by ceramic artist Raewyn Atkinson at Wellington's Avid Gallery, he was so taken by it that he approached Raewyn to make him a special set of dinnerware for his home in the Marlborough Sounds.

We're grateful that Raewyn agreed. Not only do her plates and bowls now grace Michael's dining table at Waterfall Bay, they are for sale and we use them to showcase our Extra Virgin Olive oils at the Estate's cellar door. The vibrant green of the oil looks even more beautiful in the fine, translucent dishes.

And now, Raewyn's dinnerware, is available for sale at Vessel in Wellington.