Banh Mi, Killer Croc, Sage Fried Egg, Brutal Grid, Crescent Moon, Space Shuttle, Fukushima Fruit...
The title list for artist Erica van Zon’s 2017 body of work 'Opal Moon, Local Lime' reads like an unlikely set of coordinates. The more than forty objects plot a trajectory of associations between person, place and thing, mapping the recognisable and deeply human connection to the matter we surround ourselves with in daily life. Tracing architectural forms, touristic souvenirs, op shop finds, domestic furnishings and the ubiquitous shapes and forms of daily ritual and activity, 'Opal Moon, Local Lime' charts a course through the material culture of the every day.
This new body of work by van Zon is the result of her time as Tylee Cottage artist-in-residence at the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui in early 2016. Where van Zon spent time researching, walking around Whanganui, scouring op shops and becoming immersed in her surroundings. Inspired by objects, locations and historical events discovered through this process of exploration, and which resonate widely with enduring themes of New Zealand’s provincial identity, van Zon has adopted ‘landmarks’ in the shape of different objects from her time in Whanganui. The installation remains connected throughout, without one object assuming importance over any other, and each work providing a connecting point to another.
Abstract form and line borrowed from thrifted objects , architectural details, and urban spaces repeat throughout the installation building a pattern language which maintains throughout 'Opal Moon, Local Lime'. van Zon has a history of recreating the world she sees around her using traditional handcrafted methods such as tapestry, beadwork and ceramics. In this project she has also enlisted the help of various craftspeople for the fabrication of steel, leadlight and printed fabric pieces, allowing her the freedom to take on the role of auteur while maintaining her vision and signature in the work.
'Opal Moon, Local Lime' was initiated by Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua with support from Creative New Zealand. Six new works have been commissioned from van Zon by Objectspace for this installation of her work in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Erica van Zon lives and works in Wellington, she holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. She has exhibited extensively in private galleries and public institutions. Recent solo exhibitions include Dogwood Days at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 2014-15, and Coffee Perhaps at the Dowse Art Museum, 2016-17. She was the 2011 recipient of the AsiaNZ/Wellington City Council WARE Residency, Beijing 2011, and was a visiting artist at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in 2014.
Jessica Kidd, Assistant Curator, Sarjeant Gallery and Kim Paton, Director, Objectspace
