Four generations of artists. Featured in ArtBeat newspaper Issue 13.
Copies in the Gallery for you to pick up or check out www.artbeat.org.nz
Self - Portrait 2019 - Oil on Canvas - 120x100cm - John Badcock
ArtBeat
Finalist Wallace Art Awards 2019
John Badcock is a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards 2019.
Held at the Pah Homestead in September
The annual Wallace Art Awards profile outstanding examples of contemporary New Zealand art. Through establishing the awards in 1992, Sir James Wallace’s aim was to foster, honour and support the practices of visual artists. Over the years some of New Zealand’s most prominent artists have entered and the residencies awarded to the winners have transformed their careers. Past winners have included Andy Leleisi’uao, Yuki Kihara, Mark Braunias and Judy Millar.
Source: wallace art awards 2019
July Giveaway →
Forever Young →
2019 sees Susan Badcock on an intensely ironic journey as she explores the techniques of 19th century portraiture, interlacing her latest series with commentary on the excessiveness of disposable 21st century society.
Unashamedly confronting and personal, Susan has adopted and adapted classic black and white portraiture techniques, photographing her own daughter while questioning the future she will face.
“In an increasingly reckless society enamoured by consumption and waste, our children face an uncertain future. Yet they bear our burdens and carry our glut with wisdom and dignity beyond their years.” – Susan Badcock
The result is a raw and unmasked series that toys with the viewer. Trompe l’oeil comes into play with ironic and disposable accessories adorning the child. Cheap beads, plastic sunglasses, an iridescent slinky and even a bath sponge are her play things. Yet this is a child on the brink of transitioning to womanhood. Soon her toys will be disposed of, both literally and figuratively, as she evolves to the next stage of her life.
In a society obsessed with image and immediacy, Susan’s portraits are refreshingly organic and encouraging. In sharp contrast to the visual story-telling and physical perfection that today’s society has come to expect of young women, this is a photographic series of intimate exploration into the depths of the girl. It is soulful and unforced, authentic and arresting.
“We exploit ourselves in social media, telling the world about our fake lives and masked beauty.” – Susan Badcock
The resulting series is one of empowering tension as the values, morals and techniques of yesteryear vie for attention and worth in modern society.
Words by Pip Goldsbury
Finalist ZAFAA19 Art Awards
Susan has been selected as a finalist in the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards. She is one of 32 finalists for the exhibition which will be held at the Ashburton Art Gallery opening on the 2 March.
This award exhibition presented by The Zonta Club of Ashburton in partnership with the Ashburton Art Gallery showcases the works of emerging and mid-career female artists based in Canterbury. The award seeks to raise the status of female visual artists working in the wider Canterbury area and acknowledges excellence in emerging and mid-career female artists as well as providing a platform for female youth.
Read moreSusan Badcock Gallery and The Mailroom to Open in Geraldine
In a move that owner of Geraldine’s Susan Badcock Studio describes as “an opportunity too good to miss,” Susan Badcock is extending her fine art studio upstairs to a larger premise where it will be rebranded as Susan Badcock Gallery, while a new gallery shop, The Mailroom, will inhabit her existing studio.
The first floor of Geraldine’s iconic Old Post Office building has undergone a major restoration project that has seen the area opened into a light and welcoming gallery space. The multiple apartment-style rooms are a significant attraction for Susan who has plans in place for exhibitions of larger scales of work and a personal studio for her hand-colouring and photography, as well as exhibitions by invited artists.
Opening on Sunday 21 October at 3pm, Susan Badcock Gallery will initially feature larger bodies of retrospective work by John Badcock, water colours and oils by Douglas Badcock and a series of new hand-coloured photographs by Susan.
Downstairs in The Mailroom open from 10am Saturday 20 October original artwork will also be for sale, though there will be a focus on smaller pieces. However, expect a completely new-look for this interchangeable space with a strong emphasis on well-made quality homewares, styled to demonstrate the successful incorporation of art into the home. A sample of the homewares include ceramics by Neensmadethis and an extended range of Deadly Ponies luxury accessories, including their much-coveted jewellery. There will be mohair and alpaca throws, Real World body products and stools by designer Martino Gamper. Susan says her products are “beautiful but not excessively priced.”
Describing Susan Badcock Gallery and The Mailroom as inter-connective sisters, Susan is excited to be expanding her business and the opportunities it will offer to artists and patrons alike.
The Mailroom open from Saturday 20 October 10am
Susan Badcock Gallery Launch Sunday 21 October 3pm