A Curator’s Travels in New Zealand
March 28, 2017
Our Senior Curator, Ihor Holubizky, has temporarily taken his expertise and our collection on the road to New Zealand!
Reuniting Old Friends: Ben Nicholson and Len Lye
In 1993, the McMaster Museum of Art purchased an abstract painting by the influential British painter Ben Nicholson (1894 – 1982). On the back of that 1924 work is the inscription: “for Len Lye from Ben Nicholson.” The two artists were close friends and longtime correspondents. Lye (1901 –1980) was a New Zealand born modernist filmmaker and kinetic sculptor. The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, New Zealand is now home to his collection and Foundation.
Ihor traveled to New Zealand with our Ben Nicholson painting which will be a feature work in Govett-Brewster’s new exhibition On an Island: Len Lye, Robert Graves and Laura Riding opening April 8. The exhibition documents Lye’s friendships and collaborations during the early years of his career, with a survey of works connected to Lye’s stay on the Spanish Island of Mallorca in 1930.
http://www.govettbrewster.com/exhibitions/on-an-island-len-lye-robert-graves-laura-riding-an
Presenting a Provocation on Photography
While in New Zealand Ihor will also be speaking at the Auckland Art Gallery’s Agency and Aesthetics Symposium, 31 Mar — 1 Apr 2017. The symposium is convened by Ann Shelton and Zara Stanhope as a complement to the exhibition Ann Shelton: Dark Matter and to further discussion around contemporary photography.
Ihor’s Talk or “Provocation” is titled Shifting terms of reference. He will be discussing the ways photography has shaped ways of knowing the world over the last half century, considering works by Canadian artists such as Christos Dikeakos (born Greece 1946), Suzy Lake (born USA 1947), Angela Grauerholz(born Germany 1952) and Jeff Thomas (self defined as Urban Iroquois, born USA 1956).
Find out more about the Symposium and the Program Schedule.
Fall 2026 Exhibitions at the McMaster Museum of Art
September 4, 2026
Connected Histories, Research, and Archives—Interview with Nnamdi Nnake
September 1, 2026
What stories can the telegraph tell? More than a century after telegraph lines began to stretch across Nigeria, Connected Histories: The Telegraph in Nigeria invites visitors to take a fresh look at a technology that helped shape modern communications, colonial governance, labour, and everyday life. Drawing on the doctoral research of McMaster University PhD candidate Nnamdi Nnake, the exhibition brings together rare artifacts, archival […]
M(M)A Education Staff Teresa Gregorio Shortlisted in City of Hamilton’s Arts Champion Awards
June 23, 2026
Please join us in congratulating M(M)A’s Educator for Campus & Community Engagement, Teresa Gregorio, for being shortlisted in the Arts Champion Awards in City of Hamilton’s Arts Award 2026. The Arts Champion Awards may be conferred annually to living individuals who are outstanding supporters of the arts in Hamilton as volunteers, advocates, or board members. […]
