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It’s a striking and brutal name for an art collective. The Killing is made up of six friends and former Elam School of Fine Arts students in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. At the time, they say, the choice of the name reflected their mindset – angsty, angry at the institution and full of what they describe as a lot of ‘young adult feelings’.

But The Killing’s stance has since softened, creating an interesting juxtaposition when placed next to art which can be gentle, inclusive and even cute and naive.

The group includes Venus Blacklaws, Tristan Bloemstein, Daniella Bay, Minsoh Choi and p.A – also known as Benny.

Tristan and Benny spoke to Culture 101’s Perlina Lau.

Feeling like outsiders at art school, the students gravitated towards each other. Bloemstein says friendship, family and love remain the priority amongst the group.

“Friendship comes first and maintaining that will maintain everything else that comes into play.”

When it comes to what they represent and what they stand for, they hope it’s felt and expressed in their art.

Imaginary Friends – The Killing – Aotearoa Contemporary 2024 at Auckland Art Gallery Photo: Supplied

“The cohesiveness and unity of us being multiple, differing individuals with varied lived experiences and nuanced histories – I think that’s the vibe people feel,” explains Benny.

The group are very aware of their privilege having studied at Elam.

“Studying alone is such a privilege let alone studying a luxurious degree like fine arts – we get to fingerpaint and perform with lipstick. Not a lot of POC (people of colour) and intersections get to experience that.”

The Killing is currently exhibiting in two major galleries. Imaginary Friends as part of Aotearoa Contemporary at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki and Cirque du Killing: Feast at CoCA in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Imaginary Friends features six giant towering plushies in a room painted pink with red velvet sentences on the walls. It exudes a child-like feeling of memory and nostalgia. The size of the plushies engulf audiences and visitors can touch and sit in and amongst the toys. The exhibit puts forward the question of what constitutes contemporary art and asks who our galleries are for? The Killing are mindful to be inclusive in their work. In choosing a theme that’s playful, they look to tap into everyone’s inner child, and open the space up to both adults and children.

Cirque du Killing Feast – The Killing Photo: © 2023 Owen Spargo

Cirque du Killing: Feast in Ōtautahi is a more mature but still striking exhibit. Paper cut-outs on the wall, dyed cotton sheets hanging on a clothesline and bejewelled heels are part of looking at the concept of the circus. It becomes meta: as audiences step into the space, they may ask whether they’re consumers or whether they’re part of the feast?

“With our playful works, we still hold the same values. Just aesthetically it’s different,” says Bloemstein.

Benny says the circus is used to explore our performance as people today.

“What our journeys and identities could have meant if we were performers, what are modern day circuses? What are the masses consuming? It’s a fun vehicle to play with – clowns, freak shows, we’re all freaks here.”

Cirque du Killing: Feast is at CoCA – Centre of Contemporary Art until 6 October while Imaginary Friends is at Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki until Sunday 20 October.