Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing & Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake At Christchurch Art Gallery

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2 days ago

Saturday 2 August to 23 November
Two very different exhibitions will open alongside each other at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū this August.
Each has been developed by an internationally recognised contemporary artist and will offer visitors an immersive and unforgettable experience.
Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing
Don't let the title fool you – leading Aotearoa artist Peter Robinson (Kāi Tahu) is always thinking outside the square, and well beyond the limits of a sheet of paper.
His upcoming exhibition Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing invites viewers to become part of what Lead Curator Felicity Milburn describes as 'a three-dimensional drawing in space.'
'This epically-scaled installation plays with the idea of walking through a drawing and feeling how it transforms around you as you see it from different heights and angles.
'Peter explored this way of working at Whangārei Art Museum in 2024, and this new iteration responds directly to the tall, square setting of our Sutton Gallery space,' says Milburn.
Multiple six-metre-long, powder-coated aluminium beams will be bent into shape by Robinson and a small team at the Gallery during the days leading up to the opening of the exhibition.
'It's a very hands-on process where careful planning meets a playful responsiveness to space, resulting in a viewing experience that feels both precise and unpredictable,' says Milburn.
'Peter works with shapes that are deliberately open-ended. They carry echoes of koru, niho and other forms familiar from customary Māori artmaking, while also encouraging a host of other readings, such as a monumental finger curled in invitation,' Milburn explains.
'The scale is shifting and uncertain, and by choosing a surface treatment that resembles burnt or weathered wood, he transforms a sterile, industrial material into something much more organic and full of possibility.'
Felicity Milburn will lead a conversation with Peter Robinson about his work in the exhibition space at 1pm on opening day, Saturday 2 August.
Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake
For leading intermedia artist Hye Rim Lee (Korea, New Zealand), an upbringing immersed in music, theatre and dance instilled a love of creativity and storytelling says Curator Ken Hall.
'That passion led Lee into an international career in digital artistry. Like her late father, Jin Soon Lee, who was a prominent theatre director in South Korea, she brings stories, characters and imaginative worlds to life – only her stage is a screen.
Hye Rim Lee Swan Lake (still) 2025. 3D animation. 3D generalist: Steven Stringer. Courtesy of the artist
'Lee works closely with a team of animators and sound engineers to create large-scale projected 3D animation shaped through a process of careful refinement,' says Hall. 'She brings a strong directorial vision to the animation, shaping each element from concept to final presentation.'
Lee's latest major work, Swan Lake, draws inspiration from Tchaikovsky's iconic ballet and includes choreography by the acclaimed dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Lee's fascination with swans began during the 2020 Level 4 lockdown when she often encountered the graceful birds at Western Springs, near her Grey Lynn studio.
Another deeply personal thread running through Lee's work is the impact of loss – her parents in the 1980s, and her sister in 2008.
'Elements of grief and darkness give way to hope and healing, echoing Lee's own journey of transformation and spiritual depth,' says Hall.
'There's an ethereal, emotive quality to Lee's Swan Lake. The two swans share a tenderness that feels almost human. While reflecting the emotional depth of the original ballet, Lee's Swan Lake reimagines the narrative in a striking way.'
At 11am on opening day, Saturday 2 August, hear from Hye Rim Lee in conversation with Ken Hall in the Gallery's Philip Carter Family Auditorium.
Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing and Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake open on Saturday 2 August and close on 23 November 2025.