Porgies

Porgies - a show by Sam Thomas & James Wylie, fished up by Karl Bayly.

A popular slogan for the Situationist International whilst they were smashing through the seventies was "Under the cobblestones, the beach!" 50 years later, sentiment for these ideals still rings true. Layers of digital detritus are muddying this distinction. Now we have geotagging, check-ins, and the like. Power structures are fluid and architecture is digital, no longer static. Porgies is a simple show about fish and the internet, and Porgies are aquatic serfs.

James Wylie is an artist based in Auckland. In his latest works he references the sensation of assimilating information through your smartphone whilst moving through the physical world. These videos utilise visual tropes from Facebook Messenger, vlogs and augmented reality. Wylie would like to say that these videos are shot in partial awareness.

Sam Thomas is an artist based between Auckland and Rarotonga. Thomas acknowledges the studio as the primary site of production in his paintings, and adopts the model of medieval guild. Working alongside other artists practicing their craft in concealed workshops, sharing trade secrets and techniques. Thomas’ paintings are often created on sheets of embossed brass, a technique he learnt originally from a bicycle taxi guild in Varanasi.

Karl Bayly is an artist, curator and subversive urban florist based in Auckland. Bayly is currently fostering several instagram projects, going to the pools every Monday evening and knocking together websites for people whilst trying to learn new tactile skills.

Join us for the opening preview of Porgies.  The artists will be in conversation in the gallery from 4pm on Fri 30 Sept with refreshments to follow.