Get on board for an architecture and design-focussed tour of three inner city galleries. A speaker at each gallery will share their particular interests in working with crafted objects in interior spaces.  Hear more about examples of the objects that are integrated in the practice of the artists shown at Objectspace, Masterworks and Anna Miles Gallery.

Speaking at each gallery will be:

Masterworks: art consultant and advisor, Sophie Coupland will discuss the joy of living and collecting art and will be joined by directors Eloise Kitson and Christine Hedlund.

Anna Miles Gallery: designer, Kristina Pickford will speak about the relationship between crafted objects and architecture in conversation. 

Objectspace: interior designer Rufus Knight with architect Mijntje Lepoutre will speak about their vision for the spatial design of The Room and  Untitled (Presque Rien).

The tour will present several architectural or design perspectives regarding the integration of art, craft and objects. Between these three shows there is a rich history of art practices.

The tour is $20 per person (plus service fees) and bookings are essential, with bus transportation provided between locations. Book here. Light refreshments will be provided.

Masterworks
Te Ara o Nga Manu - Mike Crawford 
On now – 11 May

Te Ara o Nga Manu is inspired by a book of the same name that served as the starting point for the development of new forms that look at migratory birds. Mike Crawford has built a strong practice on a stunning sculptural vocabulary that creates a dialogue between vessel shapes and bird forms. Mike has developed a unique style of restrained abstraction through which to explore the birds of Aotearoa, and glass as a historical material for vessels.

May Trubuhovich's hand-embroided textile works will also be on view in the bulb gallery.

Anna Miles Gallery
Double the Pleasure - Peter Hawkesby, Richard Stratton and Adrienne Vaughan
28 April - 24 May

Anna Miles has acquired the pair to the current gallery cabinet, hence the exhibition title. Both cabinets were originally made to display ceramics at the 1925 New Zealand and South Seas exhibition in Dunedin  — so to celebrate their reunion,  she will fill each with fantastic new ceramics by the two ceramic artists she represents. One will showcase a group of new porcelain teapots by Richard Stratton and in the other, a group of three extraordinary new ceramic works by Peter Hawkesby. The exhibition also includes a new suite of ink and gouache drawings by Adrienne Vaughan.

Objectspace 
The Room - Emma Ng, Rufus Knight, Justine Olsen and Ane Tonga
On now – 19 May 

The Room examines how interior space is constructed and expressed through ornamentation and design. This major exhibition developed by Objectspace is the first of its kind which draws together the fields of craft, design and architecture in one large-scale installation.

Within a series of interconnected built structures designed by Knight Associates, curator decorative art and design at Te Papa Justine Olsen in collaboration with contemporary jeweller Karl Fritsch, curator and writer Emma Ng, artist and curator Ane Tonga in collaboration with artist Ani O’Neill, and interior designer Rufus Knight with architect Mijntje Lepoutre, each present an interior scene for The Room. 

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Sophie Coupland is the daughter of Webb’s founders Peter and Ann Webb and was mentored by Peter Webb throughout the 1990s. She held the position of director of art for 16 years and assisted with preparing the business for sale, which was achieved in 2014. She re-joined the business and re-established its position in the market in 2016. She achieved fine art sales in 2017 of $8.5 million and set the top four prices for the sale of art at auction in this country. She was commissioned to undertake numerous valuations for New Zealand's leading institutional collections including the holdings of Auckland Art Gallery and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Sophie has a broad knowledge of New Zealand art history with specialist expertise in modern and contemporary practice. 

Heritage is a passion for Kristina Pickford and central to her design approach. After running an interior design business in Christchurch, she returned to university to study art and architectural history. This led to a stint working as an advisor for Heritage New Zealand, where she was actively involved in preserving heritage buildings after the Christchurch earthquakes. She was also chair at CoCA, the Centre of Contemporary Art in Christchurch, which recently underwent extensive restoration – a project in which she was intimately involved. 

Rufus Knight was born in 1986 in Opotiki, New Zealand. At Victoria University's School of Architecture and Design in Wellington, he undertook studies in Interior Architecture after which he held an Associate position at award-winning practice Fearon Hay Architects. Following working terms abroad in Europe, notably for Vincent Van Duysen Architects in Antwerp, he opened his own Auckland-based studio, Knight Associates, concentrating on Interior Architecture and Design in 2016.

Mijntje Lepoutre graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Masters of Architecture (Professional) and a first class honours degree in Interior Architecture. Following her studies she worked for leading hospitality design firm, Allistar Cox and as a Senior Interior Architect at award-winning practice, CTRL Space. Lepoutre’s expertise and interest lies in uncovering and delivering  emotive spaces that reflect their environment and contribute positively towards New Zealand’s creative identity.