KUPU

TREE T - Weston Frizzell 2009 /  by JoFF Rae

800mm x 1200mm

mixed media on hardboard

It is a letter from the Weston Frizzell "WORD" series of prints that appropriate iconic images of letters from prominent New Zealand artworks & artists & other images, further referencing the hip hop phrase "word" as an exclamation or positive expression.

TREE T has featured in the prints AOTEAROA & TAUPO.

Other letters have included the AA A & O GORDON with appropriated image from the Automobile Association & Gordon Walters; &P was taken lifted from the classic L&P logo & other letters are from shoe polish, other McCahon paintings & familiar imagery.

TREE T References the McCahon's Urewera mural, 1975.

By no chance the original mural was the controversial McCahon stolen from the Waikaremoana Visitor Centre at Aniwaniwa in 1997 but subsequently recovered.  The Tutu or 22 is a direct reference to Tame Iti as his DJ name of Dr Tutu.

The Word series of Weston Frizzell letter paintings and prints can be exhibited in flexible configurations, in sequential locations.

As they sell, we add  other new letters to the lineup and individual letters can be replaced with new versions or ideas, to allow the same show to be exhibited in many evolving configurations. Its an idea format designed to be shown repeatedly.

Individual letters realised as paintings are 1200 x 800,  acrylic lacquer, enamel, 2 pack clear, very sophisticated paint technology on wooden box frames. In NZ $4500 (negotiable less 10% for combinations). Before being sold the works are photographed to a very high spec, recombined to produce a range of Word ideas produced as limited edition prints.  

Prints are up to 1000mm x 500mm archival pigment inkjets on Hahnemule 310 gsm rag (there is no better paper); stamped, signed and numbered by both artists; editions between 50 and 180 with price point between $450 and $900 NZ.

To date we have sampled the key NZ historic superbrands, and appropriated many from Colin McCahon & Gordon Walters paralleling his graphic vocabulary with product brands, to evolve a remixed montage of art/pop culture identities, configured into an alphabet, encapsulating the Kiwi psyche.