Opening Tue 30 July 2024 5:30pm | Arthole, Darkroom, 336 St Asaph St.
Exhibition runs Mon 29 July to Sun 4 August 2024.
A Universal Law of Gravitation explores Waitaha Canterbury and the motions of everyday life through photos of its space-time bodies, objects, and landmarks.
The law of universal gravitation is a foundational theory in physics formulated by Newton. It theorises, based on observations of the cosmos, that gravity is a force of attraction and a force that is proportional to the masses of the bodies involved.
As an exhibition, “A Universal Law of Gravitation” puns on this science to explore the landscape of Canterbury and the motions of everyday life in New Zealand. This time, the bodies assume the forms of the artist and figures from her hometown as she is pushed and pulled across space and time in Ōtautahi. The materiality of the work plays the role of mass, creating connections between works that draw the viewer in and create movement within the solar system of the gallery.
Featuring film photography from the archives and fresh digital stills of street life, this exhibition sets the stage for Irenie’s residency with Photosynthesis. It touches on key themes that appear over and again in her work, including the domestic, the local, and the mundane; and it introduces her practice as a photographer to the world.