Projects

Points of Contact

Points of Contact was an exhibition that traced the historical and conceptual connections between New Zealand artist Jim Allen and filmmaker and sculptor Len Lye, and Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica.

Brazil & Aotearoa New Zealand

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Jim Allen, Body Articulation/Imprint, part three of Contact 1974/2010

New Zealand artist Jim Allen (b. 1922) shaped the development of post-object art in New Zealand. The exhibition Points of Contact traced the connections between Allen and two artists who influenced his work: New Zealand experimental filmmaker and kinetic sculptor Len Lye (1901-1980) and Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica (1937–1980). The works of these three artists are less about technique and physical qualities and more about ideas and experiences, especially engaging with light, movement and colour.

In 1968, while head of the sculpture department at Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, Jim travelled to London on a Fulbright scholarship. He encountered Hélio’s work in London, and then met Len when he visited New York. These artists transformed Jim’s thinking about his sculptures, performances and pedagogy. When he returned to New Zealand, he started to create exhibitions that gave visitors a total multi-sensory experience where they could look, touch, listen and read. For example, his Small Worlds exhibition featured “sculptural environments” with inflatable sculptures that visitors could go into and walk around.

Points of Contact gave a new generation of visitors the chance to experience a major piece of New Zealand art history. However, the ephemeral nature of post-object art means that none of Jim’s work from the 1960s and 1970s remains. To overcome this, the exhibition included reconstructions and photographic records from previous exhibitions – including Small Worlds – alongside original pieces by Len and Hélio. It also re-staged Contact, which is a three-part performance that Jim developed in 1974. At the time, Contact was famed for focusing on live action rather than static objects.

Points of Contact was organised by the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, with support from Creative NZ Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, Michael Lett, New Zealand Film Archive and Len Lye Foundation. The exhibition was staged at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery in 2010 and 2011. Contact was performed live in Auckland at Artspace Aotearoa during the Auckland Festival and livestreamed for a Wellington audience. It also featured a series of public discussions and lectures, which included a lecture by Paulo Venancio Filho, an art critic, curator and professor of art history at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

Published 02 November 2023