Matt Akehurst
Matt Akehurst | You Are Here
Steel, aluminium
Dimensions variable, height 3000mm (approx)
$6,500 (includes recalculation of distances for purchaser's
location)
You Are Here is based on the signs typically found at landmarks
such as Cape Reinga and Bluff. These multi-directional indicators
simultaneously embrace both the sites of the signs and the faraway
places they point to, at the same time as they imply the distances
between. They are much loved by travellers, who are often
photographed beside them: "We are here!"
You Are Here replaces place names with titles of art works or
places of influence in the art world, selected for their impact on
New Zealand art or their familiarity for New Zealand viewers -
works such as Picasso's Guernica, for example. Just like the
originals, the sign includes distance and direction from its
position on the headland SCULPTURE ON THE GULF exhibition. It is an
invisible link to those other works in their far-flung galleries
and collections.
Canterbury-based Matt Akehurst completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts
(Hons) at University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts in 2010.
Akehurst regularly exhibits in both group exhibitions and project
spaces. His practice encompasses sculpture, video, performance,
internet sites and drawing. Recent projects explore the role of an
artist in relation to institutional and contextual frameworks and
include Chicken/Man, GalleryGallery and Rejected Art Award.