good morning

cars were sputtering to life this morning while it was still dark.

one had to get dressed in the dark and speak in hushed tones in order to make it to an early-morning exhibition of work by alexandra savtchenko-belskaia and sonya lacey. yet there was a generous turn-out of cheery and earnest visitors to a small apartment in freeman's bay this saturday morning. it helped that there was much hosting with hot coffee in agreeably textured white paper cups and many smiles as soft pastries were presented in large woven baskets.

upon arrival savtchenko-belskaia's lighting installation was most apparent, three large lamps from switched on gardener cast an orange-yellow spill over the room serving to highlight the increasing and glowing blue light outside behind dark-black trees. thus the gathering was rendered a rarefied hothouse environment by its lighting- one artist informed me that these lights make things grow. another component of savtchenko-belskaia's work was a selection of flat terracotta pieces half painted with powdery blue.

some blinking visitors were also privy to the two parts of new work by sonya lacey. one part was composed of three small discs cast into zinc and finished by hand. melted pebbles or pennies stretched on train tracks these were handed out, fondled and warmed by palms as lacey spoke. the second part was a reading by lacey from a printed piece of paper, given to small groups of people in parts of the room where she could be heard. in the corner, on the stairs she read aloud, interrupting herself to ask whether or not we could hear her, sometimes stumbling and making corrections. lacey read of atmospheres, water, air, breaths... appearances and disappearances, anomalies of vision, light and darkness, volumes of bodies...

one young man with a beard in the corner by the stairwell struggled to stay awake...

there was morning chill, blue light, pink blossoms and being invited over to someone's house.

thank-you for having me!

parlour presents
alexandra savtchenko-belskaia & sonya lacey
with vera mey
14/79 beresford street west
freeman's bay, auckland
saturday 17 september 6-8am
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