Sum of the Parts: Nigel Brown Artist Talk

In 2012 Nigel Brown visited the Depot Artspace in Devonport and delivered a talk about the work he was exhibiting at the ‘Peace Space’ as part of the Depot Artspace Cultural Mapping Project exhibition ‘Sum of the Parts’.

The work Nigel was exhibiting (some of it appears in the background of his talk) spans almost 4 decades and was made in the context of some significant social and political activity in Aotearoa New Zealand including the 1981 Springbok Tour and the protests that led to the introduction of nuclear free legislation. Nigel talks openly about his life and practice during those tumultuous times, the significance of political art and the colourful characters he has met along the way.

Cultural Icon and artist Nigel Brown discusses his work in relationship to significant social and political events in Aotearoa.

Depot Artspace’s Cultural Mapping Project (CMP) is an ongoing exploration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural identity which began in 2010 in response to the Depot Artspace’s Cultural Icons programme (interviews with and about the heroes of New Zealand’s continuing cultural development). CMP facilitates this exploration by asking people to identify what is culturally significant to them and to creatively represent whatever that may be.

The CMP exhibition, ‘Sum of the Parts’ held in August 11-30, 2012 featuring more than 20 mapping examples and over 60 participants and took three venues to accomodate (Depot Artspace, The Museum of the Vernacular and the North Head Navy Barracks). Mapping examples featured in the exhibition ranged from traditional geographic maps, to installations and educational or expressive maps.

The peace movement in New Zealand was a significant focus of the exhibition and special tribute was made to the 25th anniversary of New Zealand becoming nuclear free. Representation of the peace movement filled an entire building (The Museum of the Vernacular) with works on display by Nigel Brown, Gil Hanly, Ruby Watson, Ruth Coombes, Chloe King, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, the Hiroshima Peace Museum, Amnesty International, Depot Artspace Members Annual Group exhibition and many more.