'Tell me without speaking' - Arthur Lin, Allegra Maslen, Jack Warren, Sage Rossie - Photospace Gallery 22-29 October 2021

'Tell me without speaking' - Arthur Lin, Allegra Maslen, Jack Warren, Sage Rossie - 22-29 October 2021

Each year at this time, Photospace Gallery hosts a group exhibition by selected graduates of Massey University's photography degree programme. This year, we're proud to present 'Tell me without speaking' - works by Arthur Lin, Allegra Maslen, Jack Warren, and Sage Rossie.

I'd like to thank David Cook of Massey University for his work in organising and coordinating this year's exhibition.

This is a short-run exhibition.
Viewing times: Friday 22 October: 1pm-3pm, Saturday 23 Oct: 11am-2pm,
Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 October: 10am-3pm.

Artists' statements:

Ali Maslen: Nadir Acsending

Nadir Ascending is an investigation into how photography acts as a visual and non-verbal language. This project utilises these concepts to convey narrative, evoke emotion and forge connections between the photographer, the photo, and the viewer. 

The body of work explores this idea through a series of photographs that collectively build a narrative based on the viewer's interpretation and perception of the images. The process of constructing this series resulted in the imagery being forged out of the artist's own self reflexive practice in building visual language.

The audience will not just be viewers, they will also be the protagonists of the story. This is achieved through the use of semiotics, as well as by harnessing the visual language that photography encompasses. 

The three chapters of this series will follow a loose narrative that allows room for the viewer to insert themselves into. Taking inspiration from Joseph Campbell's stages of The Hero's Journey, the plot will have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Within the context of Nadir Ascending they are titled, Nadir, Subsolar and Zenith.

The values Nadir Ascending holds lie within the bounds of having the ability of being a mirror experience. The input and output, while having differing qualities, are linked. While the images will be abstract renditions of personal experiences (input), their nature as visual metaphors will allow the viewer to create their own story and find their own connotations within the work (output).

While this project has its roots in being inspired by the artist's own experiences with recovery from trauma it will not explicitly be about this. More so, it will be a tool for expressing their own catharsis through photography in the hopes that a wider audience may resonate with it and see a reflection of their own experiences.

Ali Maslen - 'Preamble, 2021', framed pigment print, 45x32cm

Ali Maslen - 'The Climb, 2021' - framed pigment print, 45x32cm

Sage Rossie: It Is My Honour To Love This Garden

This exhibition explores the freedom in reconnecting the body with nature. More than an examination of the artist's own experiences of body entangled with gender and sexuality; this body of work extends traditional queer perspectives, abstracting the self in a symbolic connection with creation. Drawing on natural structures to explore connection to life and being through the body, abstracting the form, re-envisioning and reimaging the self.

My body is my vehicle, my life is my garden, these are some flowers I've picked for you.

Sage Rossie - 'Reservoir'

Sage Rossie - 'What Is and Is Not'

Jack Warren: Everyone's a Winner

Everyone's a winner reconstructs real-life stories and situations surrounding problem gambling within NZ. It aims to critique immoral marketing strategies promoting a high likelihood of becoming a winner, when in reality this is not the case. Due these egregious techniques, thousands of unwilling and unsuspecting people fall into gambling's grasp each year, only realising the severity of its effects when it is too late.  

Problem gambling can be an isolating addiction, and it is often hard to ask for help, but there are systems in place to support individuals who want to stop. Please consider contacting
0800 654 655 if you need help, or would like to learn more.

Jack Warren - 'Grandma, 2021' - framed pigment print, 104x87cm

Jack Warren - 'The Hitchhiker, 2021', framed pigment print, 104x87cm

Arthur Lin - In-Dependent Structures

How can photography and its perceived objectivity be deployed to engage audience in discussions about supermarket structures associated with political power by bringing its subjects into scrutiny?
 
In-Dependent Structures is a visual ethnography of the duopolistic supermarket sector of Aotearoa that is dominated by Foodstuffs Group and Woolworths New Zealand Limited. The body of work explores the political ideologies, that influence and limit the choices of consumers in these institutions, through the examination of structures associated with power and the prioritisation of profit. Depicting floors, shelves, branding, currency and shopping bags, these photographs offer conceptual perspectives that emphasise the context of their subjects beyond mere aesthetic values.
[Full document below photo.]

Arthur Lin - 'Reusable shopping bags, 2021' - Pigment print 112x91cm