Rich diversity on display in annual Elam showcase

The end-of-year showcase for the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts students will bring together 64 emerging artists in a diverse exhibition, featuring everything from painting and photography to sound and installation.

The Elam Artists Graduate Show, on 29 and 30 November in the Elam Fine Arts Studios at 20 Whitaker Place, will be exhibiting the work of students in their final year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts, as well as masters and doctoral student portfolios.

Lisa Crowley, a senior lecturer in fine arts and bachelor programme lead, says the show is the most “public facing” thing many students will have experienced.

“It’s a showcase of their final projects, representing the culmination of their own research and creative interests,” she says, “and it features a body of work from every student who presents work for examination.”

She says students are not divided into specific departments as they were in the past, so a student might work across painting and photography, or combine sound and installation.

“Their practice grows out of their own conceptual areas of interest, and the disciplines attached to that.”
 

Crowley says she’s excited about the diversity on display this year, with pieces as different as a small chirruping dinosaur made of fur, to a collection of elegant blue and white porcelain pieces in Chinese designs, with a sound accompaniment.

“We support students to have their own artistic voice, and I think you can see that in this exhibition.”

She says the Elam show is a wonderful event which usually attracts between 400 and 500 visitors, from the opening VIP preview on the Friday night to the public weekend, including gallery directors, collectors, art writers, secondary school teachers and alumni, as well as friends and family.

“There’s a real buzz around it. It’s an annual highlight for the Auckland arts scene, and it also has a lot of history, it’s been going for decades.”

For those who can’t attend in person, all works are professionally documented and permanently showcased on the Elam Artists website, complete with artist statements.

This online archive has been running for ten years and provides a lasting record of each graduating cohort’s work.

Crowley says that while the exhibition is primarily academic in focus, works are sometimes available for sale, and students include their contact details alongside their artist statements if anyone wants to get in touch.

“We leave the selling to the students; the focus here is on celebrating their study and creative achievements.”
 

Above all, she says, the grad show is about the collective success of Elam’s graduating students.

“We’re really proud of their achievements. They’ve worked so hard, and this is their moment to share that with the wider community.”

The Elam Artists Graduate Show is on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November at the Elam Fine Arts Studios, 20 Whitaker Place, Grafton.

It’s open from 10am to 4pm each day, admission is free and all are welcome.