Justin Morgan

Written by Sarah Bing

Justin Morgan is quite the man about town these days! Since arriving from the nether reaches of the North Island, namely Wellington, where he worked as Director of the National Academy of Fine Arts, Justin has moved into two felicitous Auckland locales; Devonport, where he manages Depot’s galleries, and Newton, where Satellite Gallery serves as home and exhibition space to him and his equally delightful partner, Katrina Rose. As if this wasn’t enough for one newly domiciled young man, Justin may also be found musing over innovative and exciting ideas for his own and others practice, eating delicious pikelets and ruminating on the more creative points of life with fellow artists when they happen to stop by Satellite or The Depot...whew! Fortunately for you and me, he found the time to elaborate on his thoughts and doings over the past while for our eager intellects!

You’ve seen a fair bit of the world, how do you find the arts scene in NZ; what are its strengths and weaknesses?

Being a smaller country, New Zealand has the benefit of providing artists with fewer distractions thus giving more time to create, great opportunities to meet other arts enthusiasts, the ability to collaborate or network and the chance to visit public galleries and museums no more than a stones throw from one another. This of course has been helped hugely by the strong platform created by those who have put the time in before we came along.

The growth in technology, our DIY culture and our desire to be a part of many cultural and historical pursuits nationally and internationally is also really amazing and inspiring.

If we were to look back on past years, I am sure many would say we have a lively and just as proactive art scene today. We have a multitude of venues and public spaces where artists and viewers alike can partake in their own form of expression or experience. And we have some extremely talented and professional artists, dealers and public sector staff who work tirelessly to produce and present the best that New Zealand has to offer.

On the flip side, being a smaller country does mean that sometimes events can experience low visitor numbers. As well, the portion of accessible funding is limited so fewer projects can be supported. Many projects will only gain partial funding - if any at all. This is compounded by the financial health of each community/ council and the organisations within it supported by the Government (but enough of the negative).

I am always amazed at how many projects achieve such great results with so little funding; running on the smell of an oily rag can be so tiresome at the best of times. But seeing and experiencing strong results is well worth the effort. So thank you to all of those people out there who make it happen: your efforts do not go unnoticed.

You took part in Arhipelag, the International Festival of Contemporary Art in Slovenia and Italy. Tell us about your work ‘Information Recorded’ at the Nova Gorica Regional Museum (Slovenia)?

“Arhipelag, the International Festival of Contemporary Art encourages experimental and adventurous creation at the meeting point of various artistic expressions, such as the performing arts, painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video, new media and installation”.

While at the festival I presented a talk about several of the works from my ongoing project entitled ‘Information Recorded’ at Vila Bartolomei and exhibited a new work at the time called Black Polaroid (see image). This was presented at the Nova Gorica Regional Museum (Goriški muzej) inside the Kromberk castle.

‘Information Recorded’ (see image) is basically an ongoing site-specific project that amasses information to present for public interaction. To date this project has been site and or object specific and has covered many subjects; for example the Lopdell House Gallery, my own studio objects and even an old cowshed. Incorporating photography, drawing, audio, data and sample collecting methods usually associated with archaeology I have amassed an array of work techniques, methods and tools which helped me to present and question my findings.

The work Black Polaroid was inspired by the following quote;
“I am neither a painter, a writer, nor a maker of, I am but a recorder”
(Author unknown)

The intention with this work was for the viewer to be confronted with one single Polaroid film that has been reversed showing only the back (a black square) and a free hanging micro cassette-recorder.

With the image in mind, the viewer is asked to take the micro cassette in hand press record and explain what it is that they see within the image and then rewind the cassette and place it back on the hook.

This set up a situation where the viewer and the image were placed in a series of conversions that have been recorded, but only for a short moment in time.

And so, it is here that the audio takes a loose form of sorts - recording the physical structure of language by way of sounds that resonate from the captured moment in time. When struck by the various tones and pitches, multiple intersections are developed and/or erased thus overlapping and constructing a new temporary relationship and description of the image.
This project was also presented to the public for interaction in Auckland, New Plymouth and Wellington before it was presented as the first New Zealand work sent in for Szpliman award held in Berlin, Germany.

3.

What creative thoughts occupy/preoccupy your mind at the moment?

Aside from several ideas that are brewing for my own art work; I currently have joined the team at The Depot which has given me the wonderful opportunity to be a part of their community and to work alongside a number of artists who will be exhibiting at The Depot Artspace. I have also just recently moved into Satellite Gallery in Newton, Auckland.

So with this in mind a lot of my creative thoughts of late have been related to exhibition experiences and to shaping or adding to a programme that makes art accessible to all and meets the art community’s needs within both venues.

4.

Clearly you are not content to focus on only creating your own work but are also a proactive advocate for emerging artists. Was this always your intention and in what way/s does your work with others impact upon your own practice?

My very first few exhibitions were with a bunch of friends. From there one thing led onto another and before I knew it I was setting up group shows for artists at all levels across the country and at home. So, I guess the idea of collaboration and/or working with others has always played an important part, intentional or not.

And working with others as opposed to being within a solo studio always helps in terms of increasing your network, providing fresh challenges and opening you up to possible opportunities for showing your work and finding ways to help others.

5.

Your bio states that you have been involved with community art projects throughout NZ over the past 8 years. I’m interested in the term community…How have your ideas of ‘community’ as a general and creative ideal evolved over the last eight years? What’s your personal definition of community?

When a group of friends and I first started showing our works together, the notion of community was more closely aligned with like-minded individuals who created art within our own personal surroundings. These surroundings were largely made of our peers from within art school, but as we began to show regularly we began to open our eyes to the potential of inviting others to show with us. At first this was with local artists, but then we started to invite artists from other centers and our ‘artistic community’ as it were began to grow. From this our shows grew to the point where we could be showing up to and over 200 works at any one time. Of course this bought added need for space and an increase in expenses.
Around this time I also noticed that we were starting to get more attention from individuals and groups that were outside of our normal circle of contact or interaction. At this point, for me the shows become less about showing my personal work and more about sharing the work of others with the public and also about aligning artists or our activities with other events that were taking place.
And so with this I began to take artworks to other centres so that emerging and established artists could have their work viewed by more people.
This then extended my notion of community to include all members of any city or town that we visited. Having a shift in thinking and approach to creating an experience of learning, enjoyment and engagement rather than just works on a wall also brought with it more opportunities and before long we had sponsorship from many small businesses and a free gallery space.
This approach has continued ever since and has fed into my own arts practice/projects and many others who have and are still producing work today.
So for me the term community has expanded into an all-encompassing word that stands for;

Collaboration
Opportunity
Mix
Make
Unity
Nurture
Interaction

You were the New Zealand judge for Clifton’s International Emerging Art prize 2011. What do you look for/consider when judging work and what informs your decisions?

- First impression.
- Control of technique and media.
- Context in relation to the artist’s idea and if this is conveyed within the artwork.

7.

In terms of your accomplishments, which do you consider to be most significant?

I think to a degree each and every one of the projects or endeavors I have been involved in have been significant. Each has offered new experiences or lessons which have been rewarding in multitudinous and unforeseen ways.

8.

How would you describe your practice? Is it a profession, a passion, a calling?

Most definitely a passion and profession.

9.

What is your vision for your career?

Firstly, to continue to build on my active involvement with artists and the arts community whilst providing accessible and enjoyable experiences for the public. Secondly, where possible to continue building on my own personal art projects and experiences.

10.

What resources do you use, and who is it that keeps you supported?

Like most creatives I’m always on the look out for the next event or opportunity to see new work or meet other like-minded individuals, so will scroll through various websites from time to time to see what others are creating or expressing.

I am inspired by overseas trends and artistic outcomes, but I also feel that it is important to be aware of what’s taking place in your own back yard. New Zealand has a varied array of creative practices taking place and a growing platform for discussion so we really have no reason to sit still and feel bored or uninspired.

I have great support from my friends and family; motivation by way of my beautiful daughter and my truly adorable partner who is always willing to lend a hand and to give me honest feedback for which I am grateful.

I have also been very lucky to have been supported by many fantastic people whether they are volunteers, individuals or groups from within the arts and business sectors who will never be forgotten. Thank you to everyone!