 Things
to Come
Works by Rudolf Boelee
21 February - 23 March 1997
With Things to Come, the McDougall Art Annex presents works by Christchurch based
artist Rudolf Boelee, who came to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1963. It is an
exhibition intended to continue and build upon the themes explored in Boelee's recent
travelling show, 'Visions of Utopia', which has toured between many galleries in the North
and South Islands. Boelee describes his work as "history painting"; an attempt
to seek social significance from events and situations from 1950's New Zealand, and to
relate them to present conditions. Things to Come was designed especially for the large,
open Annex space, and consists of work on paper, on canvas, and on painted and
silk-screened panels. Each piece is completed with the addition of simple geometric shapes
which are painted directly onto the wall, in colours which were influenced by those of
1950's ceramics.
Drawing from sources as various as science fiction, 'Vogue' and 'Popular Mechanics'
magazines, the Grecian Acropolis and New Zealand's racing icon Phar Lap, Boelee examines
the way daily life of the 1950's and 60's was affected by popular culture. Each image
presents visions which are comfortably familiar, but which can carry a multitude of other
connotations. What happens to an image when we suspend the naive belief in a perfect
future which abounded when it was first published, and regard it now with the jaded and
jaundiced eyes of the late 1990's? Some of the works, which are collages made up of
solvent transfers and laser prints, are especially conducive to this treatment. Take for
example, the image of "Rebecca and the Maoris" - when initially presented, this
picture of a young Maori girl as an exotic and friendly ambassadorial native seemed
appealing and positive, but many will now regard it as distasteful, oversimplified and
patronising.
With H.G.Wells' 'The Shape of Things to Come', as its starting point, this exhibition
aims to contribute to some understanding of contemporary society, locating its disquiet in
the here and now. Boelee's stylish constructions present images of the social traditions
which encouraged previous generations to believe in an optimistic and uncomplicated life:
the symmetrically perfect wedding party, the 'Man from Prudential'; and the New Zealand
Rail teacup. The grimy underside to the prosperity of the 1950's is implied by darker
images such as 'Mother England', a bleak, Bosch-like portrayal of the realities of
industrial Europe. By examining the expectations ordinary people previously had of a
'Brave New World' as an affluent and altruistic utopia, we can reflect on how well the
future actually measured up, and wonder, perhaps, how accurate our own predictions can be.
This exhibition was held at the Robert McDougall Contemporary Art Annex in the Arts Centre.
View catalogue online.
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