Forthcoming Project at Peregrine Wines Woolshed, Gibbston Valley

Superpartner is pleased to introduce a forthcoming project by artist Sonya Lacey to be presented at the Peregrine Winery Woolshed in Gibbston Valley, an initiative made possible through the support of Peregrine Winery.

With her project for Superpartner, Lacey continues to develop her ongoing interest in the architectures of work, rest, and restlessness, and the physiological consequences of abstractions such as time structures and the work environment. 

The Peregrine Ōtākou Otago woolshed is an example of traditional labour sites, representing architectures dedicated to work. The woolshed serves as a historical reference point to the past and present rural economies that have significantly impacted the cultural and environmental landscape of Gibbston Valley. The Kawarau River, bordering the valley, was important as a source of gold and a route for miners. Following the gold rush in the 1860s, the region shifted to agriculture, with sheep farming becoming a key industry. In the 1970s and 1980s, the area began transitioning into the viticulture landscape seen today.

Lacey's studio processes include moving-image, sculpture, writing, and print, among others. Her practice explores contingencies of making, such as the way a sculpture and moving-image might be developed concurrently and become conditional upon one another. Often, these processes involve dismantling and redeploying a technology, to access the ways that they become psychologically or physiologically active.

In this respect, Lacey’s transformations of materials and processes, as well as ideological and physiological realities, appear almost alchemical.

Acknowledgements:

Superpartner wishes to acknowledge the generous support of Peregrine Wines. This creative partnership with Sonya Lacey highlights their commitment to the arts and inclusive forms of cultural engagement.

Superpartner also thanks Robert Heald Gallery for their support of the artist and this project.

Sonya Lacey’s mixed-media installation, Weekend (2018-2021) was nominated for The Walters Prize 2021 and exhibited at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. She has undertaken art residencies with Bundanon Art Museum (NSW); Nanyang Technological University Centre for Contemporary Art (Singapore), Banff Art Centre (Canada), and the 2021 Dunedin Public Art Gallery’s Visiting Artist in Residence. Her recent exhibitions include No distance at all, Robert Heald Gallery; The Polyphonic Sea, Bundanon Art Museum, Australia; Several Degrees of Attention, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth; Totally Dark, Dunedin Public Art Gallery; Crossings, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Wellington; and State of Motion 2020: Rushes of Time, Asian Film Archive, Singapore.

Sonya Lacey Lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Artist Website: sonyalacey.net