Michael Lett (gallery) explained

Michael Lett (gallery)
Established:2003
Location:312 Karangahape Road
Type:Contemporary art dealer gallery
Website:https://michaellett.com
Coordinates:-36.8581°N 174.7577°W

Michael Lett is a gallery dealing in contemporary art that operates in Auckland, New Zealand. The gallery was established by Michael Lett in 2003 and since 2015 he has been joined by co-director and part owner Andrew Thomas.

History

Michael Lett opened his eponymous gallery in a ground floor space on the corner of Karangahape Road and Edinburgh Street, Auckland in 2003. Lett had previously worked for art dealers Anna Bibby and Sue Crockford and was with the Gow Langsford Gallery when he decided to open his own business.[1] The gallery was initially founded in partnership with the artist Michael Parekōwhai and opened with Dive an exhibition by Steve Carr.[2] The second exhibition Views of Space with the Australian artist Hany Armanious gave some indication of the breadth of artists Lett intended to pursue.[3] From 2008 to 2011 Lett was assisted by Sarah Hopkinson who has described Michael Lett as a place to see, ‘…serious exhibitions by serious artists.’ Hopkinson, after leaving Michael Lett would go on to develop her own gallery presence in Auckland, at Costal Signs.[4] Lett has attracted other assistants who have gone on to make their own mark in the visual arts including Ryan Moore now director of his own gallery Fine Arts Sydney and Becky Hemus editor of Art News[5] and The Art Paper.[6]

Michael Lett remained on Karangahape Road until 2011 when it moved to a large space on the Great North Road.[7] Art critic John Hurrell described the first exhibition trans-cryption by the artist collective et al. as, ‘an exciting exhibition to explore….’ and ‘a useful way of getting acquainted with Lett’s new space’.[8] Andrew Thomas, who had previously worked with Hamish McKay in Wellington and White Cube in London, joined the gallery and later becomes partner and co-owner.[9] The increased space allowed the gallery to offer artists the opportunity to show large scale works and installations not possible in the more restricted Karangahape Road site for example the combined exhibition of Michael Parekōwhai and et al. in collaboration with Anya Henis and Samuel Holloway in 2013[10] and Michael Stevenson’s installation Proof of the Devil in 2013.[11] The gallery returned to Karangahape Road in 2014 siting itself on the bottom floor of an old bank building on the corner of East Street.[12] In 2022 the gallery took over a hall next door to use as a project space.[13] The Methodist Mission Hall had been opened in 1909 and designed by Alexander Wiseman.[14] Early projects have included a recreation of Jim Allen’s performance Poetry for Chainsaws,[15] Michael Stevenson’s installation Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop, Seating Proposal for a Grant Maker,[16] and Kate Newby's installation Had Us Running With You.[17]

Artists

The current list of artists (2024) represented by Michael Lett are:

Anouska Akelet al.Séraphine Pick
Jim AllenRichard FraterIan Scott
Hany ArmaniousGavin HipkinsSriwhana Spong
Dan ArpsZac Langdon-PoleMichael Stevenson
Steve CarrPaul LeePeter Stichbury
Fiona ClarkJudy MillarImogen Taylor
Stella CorkeryKate NewbyKalisolate ‘Uhila
Martin CreedMichael ParekōwhaiCerith Wyn Evans
Julian DashperCampbell Patterson
Simon DennyOliver Perkins

Exhibitions

From the last show of its first year of operation, Michael Parekōwhai’s Kapa Haka, five life-sized figures posing as security guards in the gallery’s street facing window,[18] to  et al.’s 2023 installation I am the Direct Source of Truth that introduced itself with a waste paper bin full of bulldog clips[19] Michael Lett has also demonstrated a strong interest in representing a wide range of work by important contemporary artists. The gallery has also shown an interest in promoting recent art history and first showed work by Jim Allen the influential teacher and artist within three years of opening.[20] Since that time Lett has regularly featured Allen who was 83 when he first performed at the gallery. The work exhibited was a re-creation by Allen of his performance piece Poetry for Chainsaws that was first shown in 1976 at the Experimental Art Foundation in Adelaide, Australia. Since then Allen performed and exhibited a mix of recreated and new works until his death in 2023.[21] More recently the work of Pauline Rhodes has also become a regular part of the Michael Lett programme.[22]

Selected exhibitions

Controversy

In 2022, artist Matthew Griffin threw a pickle up at the ceiling of the gallery where it stayed stuck as part of an art installation. This was report in The Guardian,[34] the Daily Mail, The Times[35] and NBC News Today.[36]

Selected Michael Lett publications

External links

Official website www.michaellett.com

References

  1. Oliver . Henry . Spring 2023 . The Curation of Michael Lett . Metro Magazine . 440 . 174.
  2. News: Poppelwell . Louise . 2 April 2003 . Art Space with a Difference . 19 January 2022 . New Zealand Herald.
  3. Web site: Exhibitions . 18 January 2024.
  4. Web site: Coastal Signs . 18 January 2024.
  5. Web site: Art News . 18 January 2024.
  6. Web site: The Art Paper . 18 January 2024.
  7. News: McNamara . T.J. . 21 May 2011 . Good Reason to Tackle the Stairs . New Zealand Herald.
  8. Web site: Hurrell . John . 14 February 2011 . et al. at New Lett Venue . 18 January 2024 . EyeContact.
  9. Amery . Mark . December 2016 . Michael Lett: Ahead of the Curve . Art Collector Magazine.
  10. News: McNamara . T.J. . Into the Depths . 18 January 2024 . New Zealand Herald.
  11. Web site: Hurrell . John . 10 September 2013 . Stevenson at Lett . EyeContact Magazine.
  12. An Art Gallery’s Stylish New Auckland Home . Home Magazine.
  13. Web site: Rose of Sharon Leake . 28 April 2022 . Michael Lett Announces New Project Space . 18 January 2024 . Art Collector.
  14. Web site: East Street Mission Hall . 18 January 2024.
  15. Web site: Jim Allen: Poetry for Chainsaws . 18 January 2024.
  16. Michael Stevenson: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop, Seating Proposal for a Grant Maker . Collector.
  17. Web site: 24 March 2023 . Thinking Out loud . 18 January 2024 . Art Now.
  18. Web site: Denby . Mark . 18 January 2024 . Kapa haka by Michael Parekowhai . 18 January 2024 . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  19. Eastmond . Elizabeth . Spring 2023 . The Direct Source of Truth: a Visit with et al. . Art New Zealand . 187 . 84.
  20. Web site: Aotearoa Father of Experimental Art, Tributes Flow in After Passing of Jim Allen . 18 January 2024 . The Big Idea.
  21. News: Knell . Conor . Chumko . André . 14 June 2023 . Visual artist Jim Allen dies, aged 100 . 18 January 2024.
  22. Web site: Hurrell . John . 16 March 2019 . Visceral Jostling . 18 January 2024.
  23. News: Clifford . Andrew . 10 October 2006 . Bypassing the Thinking Process . 18 January 2024 . New Zealand Herald.
  24. Web site: Hurrell . John . 30 September 2009 . Aqua Mass Media . 18 January 2024.
  25. News: McNamara . T.J. . Light and Illumination . 18 January 2024.
  26. Web site: Hurrell . John . 10 September 2013 . Stevenson at Lett . 18 January 2024.
  27. News: Knight . Kim . 2 February 2015 . Artists in Aid Mission . 18 January 2024.
  28. Web site: Hurrell . John . 18 February 2015 . Aids and Gay Pride in 2015 . 18 January 2024 . EyeContact Magazine.
  29. Web site: Hurrell . John . 13 May 2016 . More and More (and More) Dashper . 18 January 2024.
  30. News: Herk . David . 3 June 2018 . Unseen Albums Document how Aids Affected Four New Zealanders in 1988 . 18 January 2024.
  31. Davidson . Alex . March 2018 . Giovanni Intra . Art Forum.
  32. Web site: Hurrell . John . 20 September 2019 . Ian Scott Paintings . 18 January 2024.
  33. Web site: The Envoys . 18 January 2024.
  34. News: Corlett . Eva . 27 July 2022 . Flung Pickle Token: Artist Asks $10000 for McDonald's Ingredient . 18 January 2024 . The Guardian.
  35. News: Callery . James . 28 July 2022 . McDonald’s pickle stuck to ceiling is £5,000 ‘art’ . 18 January 2024.
  36. News: Lamour . Joseph . 2 August 2022 . An artist threw the pickle from a McDonald’s burger on a ceiling — and is charging $6,325 for it   . 18 January 2024 . NBC Today.