Signed, Theo Schoon | Special screening and conversation

Join us for a special screening of the new documentary, Signed, Theo Schoon, followed by a discussion between Nathan Pōhio (Senior Curator, Māori Art, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki) and award-winning arts columnist, advisor and writer Hamish Coney. Offering insights to the film’s production and exploring the many threads of Aotearoa’s art history bundled up in it, this exclusive in-conversation will expand upon the daring career of Theo Schoon and its significance in Aotearoa’s creative landscape.

ABOUT THE FILM

Arriving on the shores of Aotearoa in 1939, a young and inquisitive Theo Schoon might as well have “landed from another planet”. Born of Dutch descent, raised in Indonesia and trained at Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts, he brought with him a distinct concoction of cultural influences that came to shape his brazenly explorative practice.

Spanning sculpture, painting, performance and photography, Theo’s work left a blazing trail through Aotearoa’s burgeoning art world which saw him rub shoulders with the likes of Colin McCahon and Rita Angus. From his efforts to preserve Aotearoa’s historic caves drawings to his much-discussed adoption of traditional Māori art practices, few of our artists have seen a career as colourful, controversial and confounding.

Combining archival footage, photographs and interviews, filmmaker and art historian Luit Bieringa paints a vivid picture of the life and legacy of Theo Schoon. Punctuated by personal anecdotes and insights from Theo’s friends and contemporaries, Signed, Theo Schoon offers a rare glimpse at the vivid personality behind some of Aotearoa’s most discussed artworks.

Signed, Theo Schoon is directed by Luit Bieringa and produced by Jan Bieringa, who have produced numerous documentaries on art and culture in Aotearoa, including The HeART of the Matter (2016), Te Hono ki Aotearoa (2012), The Man in the Hat (2009) and Ans Westra - Private Journeys / Public Signposts (2006). Frequent featured in the New Zealand International Film Festival, their works form a love letter to Aotearoa and its diverse arts community, full of warmth, wit and invaluable insights.

TICKETING

Members                                                                   $17
Open to AAG Members and those with valid guest passes.

Non-Members                                                           $22

This event is part of our membership programme. Join us from $55 per year. 

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Image credit: Signed, Theo Schoon (2021) promotional image.