During on NZ best

New Zealander, private arts advisor and curator, Helen Klisser During, who is based in New York and Connecticut, talks to the NYArtsmagazine.com’s D. Dominick Lombardi about New Zealand art. When asked to put New Zealand’s culture into perspective, as most Americans are unfamiliar with its offerings, During references key figures such as Christopher Perkins, Rita Angus and “one of New Zealand’s greatest Pakeha artists” Gordon Walters. During is equally excited about two new artists who are moving beyond the shores of New Zealand into the international art world. Samoan-born Shigeyuki Kihara explores her culture, heritage, and transgender experience through vintage-style photographs that feature classic poses in intimate settings. The second artist, Hye Rim Lee, came to New Zealand from Korea in 1993. “Lee recently had an exhibition at Max Lang Gallery, showing some of the best digital prints I’ve seen in a very long time, and her lone animation runs like a futuristic fantasy combining sexual desire with cartoony fun — a crisp mix of sex, beasts, and beauties,” writes Lombardi. “I ended my visit with During with a much better sense of the art of New Zealand, and I look forward to discovering new layers of myth and meaning that lie beneath its surface.”