Smoko room #1, printing office, Wanganui 1987
Richard Wotton, Artist
This is one of the
photographs
in our collection.
It was made in
Whanganui, Whanganui Region, New Zealand
in 1987.
See full details
Object Detail
About the Work
Richard
Wotton’s
sharp
eye
keenly
activates
liminal
spaces
such
as
the
banal
smoko
room.
This
crisply
black
and
white
image
has
a
bracingly
ephemeral
and
melancholy
atmosphere.
It
depicts
a
mundane
but
beautifully
compelling
mise-en-scene
of
a
Zip
hot
water
cylinder,
enamel
teapot,
a
glossy
Penthouse
magazine
strewn
on
a
chair
and
nude
pin-ups
tacked
on
grubby
walls.
The
calendar
with
a
PG
Tips
style
monkey
pouring
a
cup
of
tea
is
a
darkly
absurd
touch.
You
can
just
imagine
the
kind
of
off-the-shop-floor
smoko
banter
that
might
have
taken
place
in
this
room
over
a
strong
brew
and
a
few
vanilla
wine
biscuits.
-Kiran Dass, writer and critic, for the May 2021 instalment of the My Choice exhibition series.
-Kiran Dass, writer and critic, for the May 2021 instalment of the My Choice exhibition series.
Measurements
Image 240 x 190mm
Media
selenium-toned silver gelatin print
Subject Place
Description
Black and white photograph of a room with a Zip hot water cylinder above a sink to the left, a mirror and callendar on the right, and a newspaper and penthouse magazine lying on chairs at the bottom of the image.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery, Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Purchased, 1988
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
19 Oct 1988
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Accession Number:
1988/17/3