This is a very exciting opportunity for me, I have always wanted to go to the Subantartic Islands and I would like to acknowledge Alison Broad, Chair of the Southland Art Foundation, for all her hard work in making this residency a reality! Thank you very much! Another big thank you to Ponant for promoting the value of art to enrich the experience of cruise passengers on a trip to these very special islands and providing me with an onboard residency. Merci beaucoup!
This is the official media release.
This is a new initiative for SAF, complementing both its annual Southland-based William Hodges Fellowship residency and also its long involvement in supporting artistic interpretations of NZ’s subantarctic islands.
SAF and PONANT are delighted that renowned Dunedin-based artist Janet de Wagt has accepted the invitation to be the artist on this inaugural ‘Arts Aboard’ residency. For more than two decades, Janet has painted throughout Murihiku / Southland and along its coastline, where the moving sea, dancing light and fast-changing weather continue to inspire her: “I stand in the place to paint the land, the fauna and flora, the sea and the sky where others before me have settled, lived their lives and left their stories”. This will be Janet’s first visit to the subantarctic and she is looking forward to painting the sea and islands from the ship, rather than her more familiar practice of painting the coast and sea from the land.
As a community artist, Janet works with different groups of people in diverse environments. Working with the PONANT passengers and crew aboard Le Soléal will be a new experience, and one that Janet is excited by. The cruise passengers will have the opportunity to observe and interact with Janet as she undertakes her artistic practice during the cruise, even with opportunities to try painting themselves.
SAF chair, Alison Broad, notes that the ‘Arts Aboard’ initiative originated with a conversation with a senior Ponant director, exploring the potential for the arts to enrich the subantarctic experience for the cruise passengers. “The New Zealand subantarctic islands are an extraordinary and special part of NZ. They are part of the Southland Murihiku Conservation area and are, as National Nature Reserves, accorded the highest level of onshore protection possible. Their UNESCO World Heritage status indicates their significance globally. We are delighted to be partnering with Ponant to make this onboard residency possible.”
The 14 night cruise will begin by visiting Rakiura and Fiordland before heading south to The Snares, Enderby, Macquarie, Campbell and Antipodes Islands.
An anticipated exhibition of works will give a subsequent opportunity to enjoy Janet’s experience of this wild and remote place and its unique land-and- sea-scapes, flora and fauna.
Contacts:
Alison Broad
Southland Art Foundation Chair
alison@alisonbroad.nz
027 2292855
Janet de Wagt
janet.de.wagtartist@gmail.com
021 1584700
Charles Boutet
Marketing & Communications Director
Asia Pacific
cboutet@ponant.com
+61 2 8459 5022