RENEE LIANG devours the live flesh at the 2008 New Zealand Body Art Awards.

“I DON’T know why we paint on bodies,” Australian body artist Lynne Jamieson told the crowd. “Why would we choose to paint on a canvas that breathes, asks too many questions and can’t be put away in a cupboard when inspiration fails?”

I can think of plenty of reasons. For a start, those canvases can move, dance, strut or crawl – along a giant catwalk, to a rousing sound and light show. Second – and let’s not forget the titillation factor here – those canvases are fascinating in themselves, being people’s (nearly) naked bodies.

ANDY PALMER previews McNamara Gallery’s latest photography exhibition, currently in Auckland.

OVER THE LAST few years, the McNamara Gallery in Wanganui and its owner Paul McNamara have been doing a fantastic job of promoting New Zealand photography nationally and internationally. Being based in Wanganui has meant some logistical issues have had to be worked through in order to promote both the gallery and its artists to a wider audience. To get over this relative isolation, McNamara has curated and toured a number of group shows. Close Up, currently on at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland, is the latest of these and coincides with the Auckland Festival of Photography.

THOMASIN SLEIGH returns from a busy couple of weeks at Melbourne’s Next Wave Festival.

NEXT WAVE 2008, Melbourne’s emerging artists/ performers/writers festival, was an elaborate affair. I only just managed to get my plane back to New Zealand after the last ‘Nightclub Project’ the night before, one of the events where performers and artists intervened in dubious nightclub environments. I ran into the airport and was suddenly struck by the thought I might have forgotten to put on my pants. Thankfully, this was not the case. Needless to say, it was a good night.

By Liz Maw
lizmaw.com, NZ$64.95 | Reviewed by Andy Palmer

THE ARTIST’s book has been the staple of many artists for many years, most notably Nobuyoshi Araki and Ed Ruscha. Recent advances in publishing technology have allowed more artists to self-publish their own work. The time from designing to printing can be quicker than traditional publishing methods. Last year, for example, Matt Couper published a bound catalogue of his Sarjeant Gallery show, available at the opening, which included photos of the works as installed in the gallery. Recently Auckland painter Liz Maw self-published My Beloved Hackneyed, an exquisite book with 32 pages of poetry and 82 pages of her mythical paintings.