Panel discussion: Light in Art: Painted, Camera, Artificial

Judy Millar

Judy Millar is a painter who has long chased the enigma of light in her work. Living on the West coast of Tāmaki Makaurau the shifts of light and dark in sky and on sea are constantly played out before her. Millar represented Aotearoa at the Venice Biennale of 2009 and a major survey of her practice was exhibited in Kunstmuseum St Gallen, Switzerland during 2019.

Shannon Novak

Shannon Novak’s work aims to reduce anxiety, depression, and suicide rates for LGBTQI+ communities worldwide. This manifests as socially engaged and collaborative painting, photography, installation, sculpture, and curatorial practice that may extend beyond traditional exhibition spaces. The work explores light and dark in the past, present, and future, but ultimately seeks to grow hope for a better world where LGBTQI+ communities can live without fear. Key areas of focus in his work include LGBTQI+ activism, centering LGBTQI+ BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) communities, and illuminating, preserving, and sharing LGBTQI+ history.

Novak founded the Safe Space Alliance, a global LGBTQI+ led nonprofit organisation that aims to help people identify, navigate, and create safe spaces for LGBTQI+ communities.

Image credit: Pati Solomona Tyrell

Janet Lilo

Visual artist Janet Lilo experiments with different media and technologies to present “what is familiar as something extraordinary”, often resulting in big-scale works that combine film with sound, objects and illustration. Local communities play a central role in her work, although you can discover many references to global media and pop culture too. Her CV states a bold and clear life goal: “making art and raising good, solid, feminist men”. Key works by Lilo are the banana light pole installations on Karangahape Road Don’t Dream It’s Over and neon installation Nobody puts Baby in a corner which was part of Auckland Art Gallery’s exhibition Shout Whisper Wail! The 2017 Chartwell Show.