Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki brings spectacular light exhibition from world-renowned Tate galleries to Aotearoa

Thursday 17 November 2022

Explore the startling beauty and resonance of light in Light from Tate: 1700s to Now, a major exhibition exclusive to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in Aotearoa New Zealand, which opens on Saturday 25 February 2023.

Curated from the collections of Tate, UK, Light from Tate: 1700s to Now features more than 70 artworks by celebrated artists across the globe from the 18th century to the present day.

Light from Tate: 1700s to Now tells the story of how light has captivated artists over time and working across different media including painting, photography, sculpture, installation, drawing and moving image.

Auckland Art Gallery Director Kirsten Lacy says, ‘Light from Tate: 1700s to Now is a sensational exhibition. Every space is a homage to the transformative power of light and to the artists who sought to harness and explore it. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will encounter a variety of ideas and theories and will experience the sensory and emotional impacts of light.’ 

‘Auckland Art Gallery has a long history working with Tate, dating to the 1930s and most recently with The Body Laid Bare exhibition in 2017. We’re excited to bring another rich and immersive offering from one of the world’s greatest collections to Aotearoa New Zealand.’

Light from Tate: 1700s to Now features the historical paintings of visionary artists J.M.W Turner and John Constable, the impressionistic brushstrokes of Claude Monet, paintings that explore colour by Wassily Kandinsky, Bridget Riley and Josef Albers, alongside the experimental photographers of the 1920s.

These incredible works are presented alongside mesmerising installations including Olafur Eliasson’s crystalline sphere Stardust Particle (2014), James Turrell’s Raemar, Blue (1969) and Lis Rhodes’ Light Music (1975).

Other well-known artists in the exhibition are Vilhelm Hammershøi who explores light in interior and domestic settings, Dan Flavin, Liliane Lijn, Tacita Dean, Pae White and many more.

Neil McConnon, Director of International Partnerships of Tate says, ‘Light from Tate: 1700s to Now celebrates the surprising and myriad ways artists have explored light over 200 years and across time and artform. Tate is delighted to be collaborating with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki again to bring this major exhibition to audiences in New Zealand, offering a rare opportunity to experience some of the most prized artworks from Tate’s extensive collection in Auckland.’

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue edited by Kerryn Greenberg, former Head of International Collection Exhibitions at Tate with a foreword by Auckland Art Gallery Director Kirsten Lacy. Showcasing artworks from the past 200 years, the book Light from Tate: 1700s to Now reveals how the intangibility of light continues to fascinate.

The full-colour illustrations and text explore how artists in Tate’s collection have perceived, pictured and utilised light since the 18th century. From painting to photography to sculpture, the book shows how artists have sought to capture the transcendent effects of light and its emotional associations.

Light from Tate: 1700s to Now is presented in collaboration with Tate and is proudly supported by HSBC, AUT, British Council New Zealand and the Pacific, and Auckland Art Gallery Foundation. Light from Tate: 1700s to Now is presented in association with Auckland Arts Festival 2023.

 

Exhibition detail:
Light from Tate: 1700s to Now 

When:
Saturday 25 February – Sunday 25 June 2023
10am – 5pm daily

Where:
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Cnr Kitchener and Wellesley Streets
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland,
Aotearoa New Zealand

Admission:
Members FREE
Adults $26.50
Children under 12 FREE

Publication detail:
Title: Light from Tate: 1700s to Now
Publisher: Tate Publishing 
Date of publication: 2022

RRP: $54.00

 

For more information, images and interview requests contact:

Lesl van der Voorn
Communications Advisor
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

+64 21 548 480
lesl.vandervoorn@aucklandartgallery.com