Contemporary Art Showcased At Te Papa

11 May 04

An exhibition of over 60 works by contemporary Auckland artist Judy Darragh, opens at Te Papa on 15 May. Judy Darragh....So You Made It? focuses on Darragh's recent works and features twelve new pieces especially made for this exhibition.

Highlights from Darragh's 20 year career are also on display, showcasing the breadth of her practice and development as an artist.

Judy Darragh emerged in the late 1980s, and quickly became renowned for her embrace of low-art, kitsch and bric-a-brac material, which she used in sculptural assemblages. She used non-traditional found objects and creatively worked them into witty and wonderful juxtapositions. Her recent work will surprise with its range of media - video, photography, collage, and installation - of synthetic and industrial material.

'As a practicing artist today, Darragh remains relevant to a younger generation of artists because of her ability to challenge accepted norms.' said Natasha Conland, curator of the exhibition. 'The work itself encourages some great and impossible contrasts - beautiful and grungy; decorative and politicised; amusing and risky.'

Te Papa Press is publishing a full-colour book to accompany the exhibition. With over 100 images and plates, the catalogue includes illustrations of past and recent works by Judy Darragh and essays by Chris Kraus, Tessa Laird, Jon Bywater and Natasha Conland, as well as a new interview with the artist by Gwynneth Porter.