Simon Kaan in conversation with Martin Langdon and Lana Lopesi

EVENT: Simon Kaan in conversation with Martin Langdon and Lana Lopesi

Wednesday 17 August  at 6pm | Sanderson Contemporary, Osborne Lane, 2 Kent Street, Newmarket, Auckland

As part of his exhibition Black Cloud, Simon Kaan will be joined in conversation by fellow artists Martin Langdon and Lana Lopesi to discuss bi-cultural art practice in the unique artistic ecology of Aotearoa.

Simon Kaan possesses a refined visual language developed over decades, intrinsically tied to his sense of personal genealogy being of Ngai Tahu and Chinese descent. Art’s agency within cultural revival is central to Kaan’s understanding of his position as an artist. His practice considers the implications of the intermingling of the Kai Tahu and Chinese elements of his heritage, through iconography and processes of making.  In a practice that includes painting, printmaking and performance, Kaan is concerned with identity, and with the physical and metaphysical notions of space and time. 

Martin Langdon is a curator and artist whose work explores the tensions and opportunities of 'bicultural' duality and the third space of conversation. Based in South Auckland, Langdon is co-Director of The Roots Creative Entrepreneurs – a collective of creative individuals who engage the community in innovative and sustainable art projects. Recent exhibitions include: Te Ihu o Mataoho, St Paul Street Gallery, Auckland (2016); National Contemporary Art Awards, Waikato Museum, Hamilton (2015); and Shared Endeavour, Papakura Art Gallery, Auckland (2015).

Lana Lopesi is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Auckland with an interest in social practice and print media. Lana’s work often explores the various issues for diaspora and indigenous communities with a focus on the cultural exchange that occurs via migration. Lana’s writing has featured in publications in print and online including Art New Zealand, she is also a regular contributor to Pantograph Punch and E-Tangata. Lana is the co-founder and editor of #500words, a website which publishes critical discourse on art and culture.

info@sanderson.co.nz for more details