On the Surface

"One for the Mother - Allsorts" - 2010.

Photo Ajr

It seems more than a little fitting that this bright, playful work by Wayne Youle (Ngapuhi, Ngati Whakaeke), has delivered a colourful new surface to the usually staid, grey car park bunker in the forecourt of Christchurch Art Gallery. Youle, after all, is a man known for his attention to surface detail and for slick, 'pop-art-style' works that playfully challenge bicultural stereotypes. For me personally, this work is less challenging, more fun. It's as if some giant licorice allsort has fallen from the sky and landed on the tiny patch of green in front of the gallery. It reminds me of some of his earlier tiki works - brightly coloured tikis that had the look of lickable lollipops. The work is part of the gallery's excellent OUTER SPACES progamme that promotes art works outside the main gallery building - a concept I'm right behind. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz