All That Was Solid Melts

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exhibition Details

Isolation is something we have recently experienced. Like many generations before us we have felt the anxieties of being in the midst of a plague. We have sought ways to counter fear, apprehension, loneliness, separations and have been plunged into private diversions and distractions to wait out time. We have come to realise that all that was solid, everything we counted on, and took for granted – work, leisure, travel, society, even family – might melt away or fracture; that things are mutable, apt to change and that we must adapt if we are to thrive in these new circumstances.

All That Was Solid Melts takes us on a journey from isolation through the multiple anxieties of life and catastrophe, something New Zealanders are particularly familiar with, and along the way offers moments of historical sympathy, solace, and discovery. When, finally, we step beyond the itinerary we will have travelled through metaphors and emotions, realising that we too are simply passing through time, which is but a small moment in a longer plan; that we are but a spec in the cosmos; that things come before and will come after our moment; that we will be deconstructed to reconstruct ourselves.

Explore major works by some of the world’s leading contemporary names such as Pipilotti Rist, Tacita Dean, Pierre Huyghe, Douglas Gordon, Katie Paterson and many more.

Joined by historical works of significance from Auckland Art Gallery’s collection, including the stunning etchings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and pieces from modernist Paul Nash, this is a rich trans-historical exhibition curated by Senior Curator Global Contemporary Art, Juliana Engberg.

Travel through time, ruins and fragmentations in which life and humanity are once again reasserted, emerging as resilient, rejuvenated, and set free from worry.

Download more information on the artworks displayed within each room of the exhibition here:

All That Was Solid Melts Room 1
All That Was Solid Melts Room 2
All That Was Solid Melts Room 3
All That Was Solid Melts Room 4
All That Was Solid Melts Room 5
All That Was Solid Melts Room 6
All That Was Solid Melts Room 7
All That Was Solid Melts Room 8
All That Was Solid Melts Room 9
All That Was Solid Melts Room 10
All That Was Solid Melts Room 11
All That Was Solid Melts Room 12 and 13.

Get inside the mind of the Curator of All That is Solid Melts! Senior curator Juliana Engberg says: ‘Art and music are intimately linked. While putting finishing touches on this exhibition and writing the newspaper that goes with it, a lot of songs came to mind.' Enjoy immersing yourself in this eclectic mix of music which playfully reflects the themes of the exhibition.

To add the playlist to your library, follow this link to Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wihhZo

Image credits:

Sophie AndersonAfter the Earthquake, 1884, (detail), Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Viscount Leverhulme, 1924

Douglas GordonPrivate Passions, (detail), 2011. Care of Studio lost but found / Douglas Gordon / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021. Image courtesy the artist

Date
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Curated by
Juliana Engberg
Location
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Cost
FREE