Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery

The Specious Present

Andrew Beck

David Claerbout

Colin McCahon

Keith Tyson

curated by Christina Barton

10 July – 20 September 2015

The ‘specious present’ is a term applied by the philosopher and psychologist William James to that short duration of time the human mind appears to be able to experience, which exists between past and future and which is longer than the singular moment of the actual present. James developed the concept to tackle the problem of the perception of time, which is the only dimension that cannot be grasped by the senses.

The Specious Present was an exhibition that addressed the conundrum of representing time. It brought together four visual artists whose works can be read through the lens of James’ philosophical concept. Employing moving and still imagery, sculpture and painting, they offer visual and material propositions that suspend time, rendering it tangible as both an idea and an experience.

The show began with two major works by Colin McCahon (1919–1987): The Days and Nights in the Wilderness Showing the Constant Flow of Light Passing into a Dark Landscape (1971, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth) and Walk (Series C) (1973, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Wellington), which required the viewer to switch their attention between different temporal dimensions: past and present, historical and mythic, sequential and experiential.

The elegiac tone of McCahon’s Walk (Series C), painted to commemorate the death of his friend James K. Baxter, is contrasted by the anticipatory pathos of British artist, Keith Tyson’s video: Art-Machine Iteration: Angelmaker Part 1: 15 Seconds Prior to Apocalypse, 100 Views, (1996-8, Zabludowicz Collection, London). This is part of a large body of work Tyson produced on the instructions of his ‘Art-Machine’, a computer of sorts he invented when he was still at art school in the late 1980s that allowed him to side-step and yet reflect upon the processes of creative decision-making.

The Kirk Gallery was specially fitted out to present The Quiet Shore (2011) by David Claerbout, a 32-minute silent single-channel video projection. This takes a moment in time—a beach scene in northern France—and shows viewers the exact same scene from myriad different perspectives. Utilising digital technology to scrutinise the instantaneous nature of the photographic image, Claerbout invites viewers to imagine they are seeing infinity in a single moment.

New Zealand artist, Andrew Beck presented a new body of work commissioned especially for this exhibition and for the Adam’s challenging architectural spaces. Beck’s subject is the interplay between light, time and space. He plays with the image of things and the things themselves, carefully placing his two and three-dimensional works into physical space to tease out real and represented time, past and present moments.

Keith Tyson (b. 1969, United Kingdom) is highly regarded for his drawings, paintings, sculptures, performances and installations. He has exhibited widely including winning the Turner Prize in 2002. He is represented by Pace Gallery (London and New York) and David Risley Gallery (Copenhagen).

David Claerbout (b. 1969, Belgium) has been described as one of the most significant artists of the new century. Based in Antwerp and Berlin, he is well known for his photo-based stills, projections and installations that have been presented in group and solo exhibitions throughout Europe, the USA and Australasia. He is represented by Micheline Szwajcer, Brussels; Sean Kelly, New York; and Untilthen, Paris.

Andrew Beck (b. 1987, New Zealand) graduated in 2010 with a MFA from Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University Wellington. Although he has been included in solo and group exhibitions in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Cologne, Paris and Berlin, this is his first major inclusion in a public institution.

The Specious Present also featured a sound work by sonic artist Hummel titled Timex that was made in response to the exhibition.

Media Release

Public programme pdf

Media & Downloads:

Listen: Hummel, 'Timex'

Colin McCahon, Walk (Series C) 1973, synthetic polymer paint on unstretched jute canvas, 11 panels. Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Colin McCahon, The Days and Nights in the Wilderness Showing the Constant Flow of Light Passing into a Dark Landscape 1971, synthetic polymer paint on unstretched canvas. Collection of Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Keith Tyson, Art-Machine Iteration: Angelmaker Part 1, 15 Seconds Prior to Apocalypse, 100 Views 1996–8, video, 25 mins looped. Zabludowicz Collection, London. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Keith Tyson, Art-Machine Iteration: Angelmaker Part 1, 15 Seconds Prior to Apocalypse, 100 Views (still) 1996–8, video, 25 mins looped. Zabludowicz Collection, London

David Claerbout, The Quiet Shore 2011, single-channel video projection, silent, 32 mins 32 secs looped. Courtesy of the artist (photo: Shaun Waugh)

David Claerbout, The Quiet Shore 2011, single-channel video projection, silent, 32 mins 32 secs looped. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

David Claerbout, The Quiet Shore 2011, single-channel video projection, silent, 32 mins 32 secs looped. Courtesy of the artist (photo: Shaun Waugh) (photo: Shaun Waugh)

David Claerbout, The Quiet Shore (still) 2011, single-channel video projection, silent, 32 mins 32 secs looped. Courtesy of the artist

Andrew Beck, Linear Split (8 Phases) 2015, acrylic on eight sheets of non-reflective glass with wall painting, each sheet 1350 x 900mm. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Andrew Beck, Shadow Strips Cascades 2015, 29 silver gelatin prints, 210 x 530mm each, 5.5 x 4.0m overall. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Andrew Beck, Shadow Strips Cascades (detail) 2015, 29 silver gelatin prints, 210 x 530mm each, 5.5 x 4.0m overall. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Installation view of Andrew Beck, After Image 2015 (installation view), silver gelatin prints, acrylic, glass. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Andrew Beck, Lean 2015, two silver gelatin prints, 800 x 1200mm. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington (photo: Shaun Waugh)

Andrew Beck, Lean 2015, two silver gelatin prints, 800 x 1200mm. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Andrew Beck, Two Glass Strata 2015, two silver gelatin prints, 400 x 500mm each. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington (photo: Shaun Waugh)

Andrew Beck, Two Glass Strata 2015, two silver gelatin prints, 400 x 500mm each. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh

Andrew Beck, Hélio Oiticica, Metaesquema 1957 (Remake with Transparency) 2015, acrylic on silver gelatin print with transparency, two framed works, 490 x 390mm each. Courtesy of the artist and Hamish McKay Gallery. Installation view, The Specious Present, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015. Photo: Shaun Waugh