Hana Aoake

Dystopia
Gilberd Marriott Gallery 8th May-6th June 2015

Hana Aoake is an Auckland based writer, artist and curator, whose work in primarily concerned with the body, communication and language. In 2014 she co-founded, Fresh and Fruity gallery, which is a physical space in Dunedin, a social media spectacle and a collective of female artists.

Dystopia is the second jewellery ‘collection’ by Hana Aoake, under the pseudonym or ‘brand’, Succulents. The focus on the project is corporeal, how each piece of jewellery relates to the body, how one can adorn oneself and as a challenge to more traditional modes of jewellery making. Divided museologically by place, each piece is comprised of discarded urban debris, which has been remade into a beautiful object. These pieces of jewellery have a more sculptural quality and mimic, yet reject the notion of luxury. Each piece challenges the idea of wearability. Most are necklaces intricately made using materials such as, found glass, rubber, metals and concrete. They aren’t meant to be particularly comfortable or last forever, as they are inherently ephemeral. These materials have been collected following time spent in Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland. Dystopia raises questions about our relationship to waste and our bodies, yet enables parallels to be drawn between the urbanisation and destruction of different metropolitan centres in New Zealand. The opening of this show will include a series of collaborative performative actions and include a video work and publication.

Photo: Hana Aoake