City Art Depot

The City Art Depot picture hanging team arrange and install art, offering informed choices on optimal placement for viewing and protection.

Read our FAQ on art installation and picture hanging on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/faq/art-installation

Pictured: Cameron hanging a Sandra Thomson artwork in our upstairs gallery.
Artwork details: Depository [10], Sandra Thomson, watercolour & chalk on paper, 2022

Twilight Sleep iii, Shannon Williamson, gouache and pencil on paper, 280x215mm, 2024

In her Twilight Sleep works, figures of vivid colour appear to float, untethered in shifting tones of blues. The chaotic mark making is balanced by the fluidity of the ground; the works, not wholly restful, seem to sit in stasis. “A lot of these works are transcriptions of synesthetic experience… I feel like my role is that of a conduit and I have to get the work out on the paper – I don’t really get to choose how it presents itself.”

See the full catalogue of works in Shannon Williamson's current exhibition 'There, there' on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/there-there/

Thank you to everyone who came along to the opening of Shannon Williamson's exhibition 'There, there' last night at City Art Depot.

This exhibition continues in our gallery until the 5th of August. Open hours 8:30am–5pm weekdays & 10am–2pm Saturdays.

See the full catalogue of works on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/there-there/

Join us for the opening of There, there by Shannon Williamson at City Art Depot tonight, Tuesday 16th, from 5:30pm!

This series of works, while small in scale, are alive with colour and movement. The vibrant colour palette, juxtaposed with dark spore-like bleeds, lends an undercurrent of toxicity, of warning and of chaos to the works. This in turn speaks to the anxieties and power associated with the role of caregiving. The repetitive and concentric mark making, emblematic of Williamson’s practice, bridges the gap between the abstract and figurative.

Pictured: Twilight Sleep ii, Shannon Williamson, gouache and pencil on paper, 280 x 215mm (framed), 2024

https://www.cityart.co.nz/blog/there-there/

City Art Reader 72: Shannon Williamson – There, there is now available to read on our website!

Shannon Williamson’s exhibition There, there explores a synesthetic approach to painting, proposing form for the otherwise invisible energies which exist between bodies as they interrelate. Through this series of small hyper-coloured gouaches, she examines the emotional intimacies and anxieties of caregiving, both for oneself and for the other. Ahead of the exhibition, Williamson discussed her works with Gallery Assistant Paige Elder.

There, there opens 5.30pm Tuesday 16th July at City Art Depot and runs through to 5 August 2024.

Echoes to the River, Lulu Zeng, acrylic and charcoal on stretched canvas, 1300x1605mm, 2024.

On exhibition as part of Lulu Zeng's A Conversation in Between, on show at City Art Depot until Monday the 8th of July.

In this exhibition of expressive paintings Lulu Zeng opens conversations between painting & poetry, culture & understanding, material & perception. Her paintings reflect her identity as a Chinese immigrant to Aotearoa and the cultural exchange in language. Studying classical Chinese and Western imagist poetries, Zeng attunes herself to her abstract emotional responses to the poems.

City Art Depot is closed this long weekend. Open from Monday the 1st of July with regular hours.

Thank you to everyone who braced the cold and attended the opening of A Conversation in Between by Lulu Zeng last night. This exhibition runs through until the 8th of July.

Gallery hours: 8:30am–5pm weekdays & 10am–2pm Saturdays (closed over Matariki weekend).

View the digital catalogue of works on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/lulu-zeng/

Join us for the opening of A Conversation in Between by Lulu Zeng at City Art Depot tomorrow 17th June from 5.30pm!

In this exhibition of expressive paintings Lulu Zeng opens conversations between painting & poetry, culture & understanding, material & perception. Her paintings reflect her identity as a Chinese immigrant to Aotearoa and the cultural exchange in language. Studying classical Chinese and Western imagist poetries, Zeng attunes herself to her abstract emotional responses to the poems.

Pictured: Autumn Eve II, Lulu Zeng, acrylic, ink and oil stick on stretched canvas, 1040x800mm, 2024

https://www.cityart.co.nz/blog/lulu-zeng/

City Art Reader 71: Lulu Zeng – A Conversation in Between is now available to read on our website!

Lulu Zeng’s paintings reflect her identity as a Chinese immigrant to Aotearoa and the cultural exchange in language. Studying classical Chinese and Western imagist poetries, Zeng attunes herself to her abstract emotional responses to the poems to create vibrant gestural artworks. Ahead of her exhibition A Conversation in Between she responded to questions posed by City Art Reader Editor Cameron Ralston.

A Conversation in Between opens 5.30pm on Tuesday the 18th of June at City Art Depot and runs through to the 8th of July 2024.

City Art Depot warmly invites everyone to attend the opening of A Conversation i Between by Lulu Zeng, 5.30pm Tuesday 18th June in our gallery at 96 Disraeli Street, Christchurch.

Lulu Zeng is a recent graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts programme at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts. Her paintings reflect her identity as a Chinese immigrant to Aotearoa and the cultural exchange in language. Studying classical Chinese and Western imagist poetries, Zeng attunes herself to her abstract emotional responses to the poems. Shaped by her unique perspective, she recaptures feelings and experiences of nature and poetic reading with impulsive gestural brushstrokes.

Lulu Zeng's upcoming exhibition in our gallery is featured in Warren Feeney's 10 exhibitions to look out for in June. Opening Tuesday 18th June 2024!

10 exhibitions to look out for in June Get out a group show seeking to address the under-representation of women’s work in major galleries and an artist who over five decades has sited provocative sculpture in public spaces.

Between two worlds / 休息, Richard Elderton, oil on canvas over board, 320x765mm, 2024

On exhibition as part of Richard Elderton's exhibition ‘Aida_間_.’ at City Art Depot until Monday the 10th of June.

In his sublime oil paintings of the natural world, presented in the manner of still lifes, Richard Elderton finds an appreciation for stillness, contemplating the pause or breath between moments. He heightens his subjects, framing them with deliberate negative space defined by contrasts in colour and brushwork.

With thick wet layered brushwork Elderton focuses in on central objects. His considered use of empty space both contextualises the foreground and sincerely speaks to the objecthood of the artwork.

Comparing his paintings to the art of bonsai and Japanese tea gardens, where the nature is replicated, studied and balanced with emptiness, Elderton blends landscape and still life with a sense of elegance and serenity. Investigating how we perceive and interpret nature, Elderton transforms perhaps mundane subject matter with a deeper sense of substance and space. Stones, clouds and trees have meaning brushed into them, immortalised within the canvas.

City Art Depot is closed this long weekend. Open from Tuesday the 4th of June with regular hours.

This Bill Hammond painting is framed for our client here in a City Art Depot custom designed frame. The gilded outer frame lifts the gold and warm tones within the painting while the black inner frame gives the piece breathing room and an elegant backdrop. Overall, the frame and artwork together make a statement on the wall, elevating the painting. Designed and gilded specifically for this artwork this is another example of the one-of-a-kind frames we make to suit any artwork.

In ‘Aida_間_.’ Richard Elderton explores the Japanese concept of ma.

"‘ma’ can loosely be translated into words like a space in between, or a beat. It’s this idea of a negative space that can be universally applied to music, poetry, the tea ceremony, even your diction – in regular conversations, art and architecture and so on. It’s similar to the idea of breathing space, giving things room to expand its potential."
—Richard Elderton

In these sublime oil paintings of the natural world, presented in the manner of still lifes, Elderton finds an appreciation for stillness, contemplating the pause or breath between moments. He heightens his subjects, framing them with deliberate negative space defined by contrasts in colour and brushwork.

With thick wet layered brushwork Elderton focuses in on central objects. His considered use of empty space both contextualises the foreground and sincerely speaks to the objecthood of the artwork.

Pictured: Still life: Contemplation of two stones, Richard Elderton, oil on canvas over board, 320x765, 2024

Richard Elderton's exhibition ‘Aida_間_.’ is on now at City Art Depot until the 10th of June.

Read our interview with Elderton on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/blog/aida/

This Mark Braunias artwork is float framed for our client here in a City Art Depot bevelled oak frame. The stained oak pairs fantastically with the tone and texture of the piece. We designed and made this frame with extra depth to allow for the ripples in the paper, keeping the work away from the antireflective glazing.

Beautiful painterly details in Richard Edlerton's paintings. His current exhibition ‘Aida_間_.’ is on now at City Art Depot!

"I hope to lay bare the traces of decision making within the process, and distil an aesthetic appreciation for the craft of painting itself."
—Richard Elderton

Comparing his paintings to the art of bonsai and Japanese tea gardens, where the nature is replicated, studied and balanced with emptiness, Elderton blends landscape and still life with a sense of elegance and serenity. Investigating how we perceive and interpret nature, Elderton transforms perhaps mundane subject matter with a deeper sense of substance and space. Stones, clouds and trees have meaning brushed into them, immortalised within the canvas.

https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/aida/

Richard Elderton's exhibition ‘Aida_間_.’ opens tomorrow (Tuesday) from 5.30pm in our gallery!

In these sublime oil paintings of the natural world, presented in the manner of still lifes, Elderton finds an appreciation for stillness, contemplating the pause or breath between moments. He heightens his subjects, framing them with deliberate negative space defined by contrasts in colour and brushwork.

City Art Reader #70: Richard Elderton – ‘Aida_間_’ is available to read on our website now!

https://www.cityart.co.nz/blog/aida/

In ‘Aida_間_’ Richard Elderton explores the Japanese concept of ma. In sublime oil paintings of the natural world presented like still lifes, he finds an appreciation for stillness, contemplating the pause or breath between moments. He heightens his subjects, framing them with deliberate negative space defined by contrasts in colour and brushwork. Ahead of the exhibition Elderton discussed his works with City Art Reader editor Cameron Ralston. ‘Aida_間_’ opens 5.30pm Tuesday 21 May at City Art Depot and runs through to 10 June 2024.

City Art Depot warmly invites everyone to attend the opening of ‘Aida_間_.’ by Richard Elderton, 5.30pm Tuesday 21st May in our gallery at 96 Disraeli Street, Christchurch.

In ‘Aida_間_’ Richard Elderton explores the Japanese concept of ma. In sublime oil paintings of the natural world presented like still-lifes, he finds an appreciation for stillness, contemplating the pause or breath between moments. He heightens his subjects framing them with deliberate negative space defined by contrasts in colour and brushwork.

This Aston Greathead landscape painting was reframed for our client here in a City Art Depot solid oak frame. This classic moulding made here in our workshop adds depth and character to the piece. Chosen to reflect the golden tones within the artwork, the stain also beautifully highlights the natural grain of the timber.

Eve, Francis van Hout, loess, red oxide and charcoal on stretched calico, 405X305mm, 2024

Portraits, Idols and Robots by Francis van Hout is on now at City Art Depot until Monday the 13th of May.

Our picture hanging team installed this canvas triptych for our client high in their stairwell.

See more about our service on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/art-installation/

In this landscape of infinitely replicable and AI generatable faces, what is a portrait? When anything could be a robot or a digital product, van Hout uses the most tangible thing available – earth. Thick, crunchy surfaces of pigment made by pounding loess, red oxide and charcoal in a mortar and pestle, are far removed from lines of code. In this departure from his own geometric, mathematical, abstract paintings, the artist embraces the imperfection and chance of natural materials while still exhibiting his command of line.
— City Art Depot Gallery Manager Cameron Ralston

Pictured: Maschinenmensch, Francis van Hout, loess, red oxide and charcoal on stretched calico, 405x305mm, 2024

https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/portraits-idols-and-robots/

This Rebecca Hasselman painting is framed here for our client in a City Art Depot stained shadow frame. The dark stain elegantly borders the artwork contrasting and enhancing the colour and brushwork of the piece. City Art Depot shadow frames are made on site and measured to perfectly fit the artwork within.

City Art Depot is closed this Saturday. Open with regular hours on Monday.

Some shots from the opening of Portraits, Idols and Robots by Francis van Hout on Tuesday evening. Thank you to everyone who came along to view this fantastic new body of work.

This exhibition runs through to the 13th of May. Open hours: 8:30am–5pm weekdays and 10am–2pm Saturdays.

Read more about this exhibition on our website here:
https://www.cityart.co.nz/exhibition/portraits-idols-and-robots/

Open today (Friday), closed Saturday.

City Art Depot is closed for ANZAC day. We're open this Friday then closed over the weekend, back on Monday with regular hours.

This client's tall entry wall is now a gallery! Installed by our City Art Depot art hanging team using our mobile scaffold, each of these artworks is measured to perfectly fit as part of the hang and hung on brackets that will keep them straight and level.

Our expert picture hanging team arrange and install art, offering informed choices on optimal placement for viewing and protection. From whole collections to individual pieces our team always provides the best advice. Our skilled staff are happy to help work alongside you to make successful and informed presentations.

Read our FAQ on art installation and picture hanging on our website here: https://www.cityart.co.nz/faq/art-installation/