In April we welcome Karl Fritsch and Lisa Walker, the first of our 2024 Stoddart Cottage-Purau Artists-in-Residence. Turumeke Harrington (Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne) then takes up a residency in June/July. All three of this year’s artists are currently based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
German-born Fritsch is one the country’s leading and most influential jewellers. His rings speak of traditional goldsmithing, but also dramatically reframe its expressive range. These are held in museum and public collections, which include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Lisa Walker ONZM is a New Zealand Arts Laureate, who studied Craft and Design at Otago Polytechnic Art School in Dunedin, before moving into jewellery at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany. She has exhibited widely in galleries and museums in New Zealand and internationally, and has work in many collections including the Stedelijk Museum, Netherlands and the Musée Arts Décoratifs in France.
Karl and Lisa will be exploring Stoddart Cottage, and the nearby garden, house and studio of Diamond Harbour artist, Brenda Nightingale. Over the month Fritsch, Walker and Nightingale will collaborate together on works that might include jewellery, painting, and embroidery. These will then be presented in an exhibition at Stoddart Cottage in May. Local artists are invited to join Karl and Lisa at a welcome event held by the Stoddart Cottage Trust at Stoddart Cottage on Friday 5th April at 6pm.