Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles
Andrew Brusso
Olivia Erlanger
Julia Holden
Alexis Hunter
Suzanne Husky
Brett Stanley
Lena Maria Thüring
Annette Kellerman
MeduSirena
Hannah Mermaid
Merman Jax
Julie Atlas Muz
curated by Megan Dunn
20 October – 18 December 2022
The Mermaid Chronicles explored writer Megan Dunn’s longstanding fascination for mermaids and the world of professional mermaiding. Titled after a long prose poem Dunn wrote in the 1990s, the exhibition was a first for Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery as a mode of autobiographical curating on a topic that showcases the professional mermaid and tracks this mythical figure through high and popular culture. Dunn brought together vintage artefacts with painting, sculpture, underwater photographs, and videos by artists and professional photographers, and features several high-profile mermaid performers. She told stories, explained art works, and quoted from the mermaid community in wall texts, a sound work and a PowerPoint presentation. Recognising the mermaid as a mythological figure that continues to capture our imaginations, she also acknowledged the ways that mermaids serve society as creatures who bridge land and sea, human and non-human, fantasy and reality. Owning up to her own preoccupations, Dunn asked us all to take mermaids seriously.
Megan Dunn (b. 1974) is the author of Tinderbox and Things I Learned at Art School, and a reformed video artist. In the late 1990s, she ran Fiat Lux, an artist-run space in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Her art reviews and criticism have been widely published, as have her essays and stories. She is the 2022 Writer in Residence at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters, where she is working on her memoir about motherhood, menopause and mermaids. Lots of mermaids.
Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), A Mermaid, 1900, reproduction of original oil painting in Royal Academy Collection, London, collection of Megan Dunn; Julia Holden, Megan Dunn, Mermaid (after J. W. Waterhouse), 2021, colour photograph, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), A Mermaid, 1900, reproduction of original oil painting in Royal Academy Collection, London, collection of Megan Dunn; Julia Holden, Megan Dunn, Mermaid (after J. W. Waterhouse), 2021, colour photograph, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs; Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Video still from Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs. Courtesy of the artist
Video still from Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs. Courtesy of the artist
Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs; Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Coral, See Wees doll, 1979; Finella, See Wees baby doll, 1981; and See Wees carrying case with kissing fishes handle, 1980, both collection Megan Dunn and Fearne Crane. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Coral, See Wees doll, 1979; Finella, See Wees baby doll, 1981; and See Wees carrying case with kissing fishes handle, 1980, both collection Megan Dunn and Fearne Crane. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn; Finfolk Productions, ‘The Madison’, 2018, Neoprene tail, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Detail of Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Detail of Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah , 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Detail of Finfolk Productions, ‘The Madison’, 2018, Neoprene tail, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Julie Atlas Muz, High Art at Low Tide, 2004, video, colour, sound, 3 mins 6 secs, directed by Matt Kalman, filmed at The Coral Room, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Video still of Julie Atlas Muz, High Art at Low Tide, 2004, video, colour, sound, 3 mins 6 secs, directed by Matt Kalman, filmed at The Coral Room, New York. Courtesy of Julie Atlas Muz.
Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 37 sec. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Video still from MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 min 37 secs. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson
Video still from MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 min 37 secs. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson
Merman Jax, Odd Jobs: Merman, 2017, Episode 4, Crypt TV Facebook Series, video, colour, sound, 2 mins, 6 sec. Courtesy of Crypt TV and Jack Laflin. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Merman Jax, Odd Jobs: Merman, 2017, Episode 4, Crypt TV Facebook Series, video, colour, sound, 2 mins, 6 sec. Courtesy of Crypt TV and Jack Laflin.
Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Video still from Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser
Video still from Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser
Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris
Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris
Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris
Alexis Hunter (1948–2014), The Lure of the Sea, 1988, oil on canvas, private collection, Auckland; Megan Dunn, I’ve Heard the Mermaids…, 2022, recorded sound, novelty telephone, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Megan Dunn, I’ve Heard the Mermaids…, 2022, recorded sound, novelty telephone, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Alexis Hunter (1948–2014), The Lure of the Sea, 1988, oil on canvas, private collection, Auckland. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Andrew Brusso, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, 2014, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 45 secs. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker
Andrew Brusso, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, 2014, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 45 secs. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker