WELLINGTON ARTIST TOM MACKIE LAUNCHES OPEN STORIES EXHIBITION

Wellington artist Tom Mackie launched his latest exhibition, Open Stories, at The Young art gallery on Friday. In his 17^th exhibition which runs until Saturday 26 September, Mackie uses a large collection of found images and texts which he has grouped and arranged in order to shift their identities.

The focus of this exhibition is to mobilise the static and transform the representational into the abstracted. This act of appropriation triggers questions regarding the meaning and significance of words and images as they move from one context to another. The audience is encouraged to read the found texts in new ways and weave their own narratives and memories into what they see.

Mackie’s concern is for the increasing speed with which images and texts are consumed by audiences. As a result, viewers miss out on the intricacies and symbolism that can be appreciated with a little extra time and focus. Here, Mackie asks his viewers to slow down, and take from his work more than can be read in a fleeting moment. 

Mackie has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Open Stories exhibition and this week received a Parkin Drawing Prize Merit Award for his work ‘Door’ which on exhibition at The Academy of Fine Arts until 13 September.

Open Stories will be on display at The Young art gallery in Wellington from 4 September to 26 September. A digital catalogue of the works in this exhibition is now available. The Young is open Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm-5pm or outside these hours by appointment. To obtain a catalogue or arrange an appointment to view the exhibition, please contact carey@careyyoung.co.nz.

The Young
2/7 Hawker Street
Mount Victoria
Wellington 6011
New Zealand 

Phone: + 64 21 368348
Email: carey@careyyoung.co.nz

Gallery Hours: Fridays 12pm-5pm, Saturdays 12pm-5pm and other times by appointment

Open Stories by Tom Mackie: 4^th-26^th September 2015