Splore Festival co-founder, Jamie Larnach, goes public with solo exhibition.
Opening Saturday 2 December from 1:45pm at 74 Karangahape Road (two doors towards Symonds street from the Rockshop)
A pivotal figure in Aotearoa New Zealand’s underground music scene, Jamie Larnach, is making his next move with his solo exhibition, “How We Human”.
From kick-starting New Zealand’s dance music revolution with Entrain in the early nineties, to building the foundations for Splore Festival, now Larnach has created something that can be brought
home, beyond fond memories and sore muscles. Through his paintings, Larnach conveys his unique world view and perception of how we live as humans, elaborating on themes of consciousness, quantum physics and individual definitions of reality.
“I’m one of those people who consistently returns to big questions; what does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be human? Where are we going as a species?“ Larnach says. “That’s where “How We Human” came from. I’m curious about esoteric concepts such as the differing ways we perceive reality.”
“At the same time, I’m grounded in concerns about how we can correct our course as a species to avoid impending sociological and ecological disaster,” he says. “This kind of thinking has always influenced the festivals I have started and the art that I make.”
Decades in the making, his body of work will be on display at a pop-up gallery on Auckland’s Karangahape Road.
From July through September this year, Larnach spent time in Poland and Japan, with month-long artist residencies; the output of which will also be exhibited. “I’ve known Jamie as an artist since 2004,“ says Splore Festival owner, John Minty. “It has always been clear to me that art, music and love for community are at the forefront for Jamie,” he says. “He has entertained thousands and thousands of people at Splore but this is the first time we get to see his paintings up close and personal and that’s exciting”.
Larnach’s week-long exhibition opens this Saturday December 2 with performances from several New Zealand artists.