HS8’s second group exhibition at Pah Homestead, (Auckland 8 November 2024 – 16 February 2025, opening Th 8 Nov).
MATERIALISE marks the conclusion of a two-year journey for this remarkable group of HANDSHAKE 8 artists, at The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead, Auckland.
Over this period, participants have explored and honed their practices through online and in-person masterclasses, lecture series in art history & theory, and collaboration with mentors, including this year’s video presentation masterclass led by Catalan maker Estela Saez-Vilanova.
During this time, they have worked closely together, sharing invaluable experiences and cultivating a shared vision of leadership, all while striving to achieve their individual artistic goals.
The resulting exhibition showcases diverse material and conceptual approaches, embodying Handshake’s ethos of exploration and innovation.
The exhibition process is used as a learning tool for their future exhibitions, focusing on essential curation skills, communication, work support/furniture, exhibition design, artist statements, labels, and other professional gallery ethics. Their first at Depot ArtSpace played a crucial role in this educational process, as well as the collaboration with Pah Homestead’s curator: Nicholas Butler.
MORE about HS8 second exhibition
HS8 exhibition images: Materialise
HS8’s first group exhibition was at Depot Artspace, Devonport (Auckland 4 Nov to 21 Dec 2023, opening Sat 4 Nov).
This marked the mid-project experience, featuring works that were developed throughout a year-long exploration process. The artists’ interests, masterclasses, and coaching sessions all played a vital role in shaping the edited installations of each HS8 artist.
The exhibition process is used as a learning tool for their future exhibitions, focusing on essential curation skills, communication, work support/furniture, exhibition design, artist statements, labels, and other professional gallery ethics. The Depot ArtSpace played a crucial role in this educational process.
MORE about HS8 first exhibition
HS8 exhibition images: Proof of Concept
Exhibiting art in different formats and situations is a rule-bound process that requires practice, feedback, and introduction. Creating artwork for exhibitions, participating in its planning, design, setup, installation, lighting, labels, artist statement, promotion, and delivering artist talks are all integral parts of the exhibition learning experience.
Preparing for an exhibition creates pressure and awareness among HS8 artists about the significance of planning, focus, and direction in their development. It requires good editing, a keen creative eye, resilience, and time management to articulate a homogeneous group from the process and finished works.
HS8 BLOG posts:
A Small But Mighty Tool
Our current group of online workshops with Estela Saez, are geared towards figuring out new ways to show our work via film. As someone who grew up pre-internet and mobile phone, I'm still wowed by how much our phones and laptops can achieve....
earth meditation
A reflection on earth by John O'Donohue Let us bless The imagination of the earth. That knew early the patience To harness the mind of time, Waited for the seas to warm, Ready to welcome the emergence Of things dreaming and voyaging Among the stillness of land, And...
Rules Required?
As part of the Handshake 8 journey, we have jewellery history lectures from the wonderful Andrea Daly, New Zealand Jeweller and educationalist. As part of a homework task, Daly required us to think about the unwritten rules of contemporary jewellery, consider our own...
All aboard the Mentor-ship
Whoever wrote the proverb “never meet your [creative] heroes”, obviously had never met Neke Moa. She is my mentor this year for Handshake8. I will not recite the incredible things that Neke has created, exhibited and taught, but I would redirect, and recommend, you to...
HS8 E-ON sessions
E presentation workshop ON-E by Estela Saez Vilanova (CAT-ES) (subject to funding)
A series of Zoom workshops during April – October 2024 about alternative EXHIBTION options with the intention to prepare Handshake 8 artists for an online exhibition submission
Exhibitions
HS8’s second group exhibition at Pah Homestead, (Auckland 8 November 2024 – 16 February 2025, opening Th 8 Nov).
MATERIALISE marks the conclusion of a two-year journey for this remarkable group of HANDSHAKE 8 artists, at The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead, Auckland.
Over this period, participants have explored and honed their practices through online and in-person masterclasses, lecture series in art history & theory, and collaboration with mentors, including this year’s video presentation masterclass led by Catalan maker Estela Saez-Vilanova.
During this time, they have worked closely together, sharing invaluable experiences and cultivating a shared vision of leadership, all while striving to achieve their individual artistic goals.
The resulting exhibition showcases diverse material and conceptual approaches, embodying Handshake’s ethos of exploration and innovation.
The exhibition process is used as a learning tool for their future exhibitions, focusing on essential curation skills, communication, work support/furniture, exhibition design, artist statements, labels, and other professional gallery ethics. Their first at Depot ArtSpace played a crucial role in this educational process, as well as the collaboration with Pah Homestead’s curator: Nicholas Butler.
MORE about HS8 second exhibition
HS8 exhibition images: Materialise
HS8 EXHIBITION 1
S8’s first group exhibition was at Depot Artspace, Devonport (Auckland 4 Nov to 21 Dec 2023, opening Sat 4 Nov).
This marked the mid-project experience, featuring works that were developed throughout a year-long exploration process. The artists’ interests, masterclasses, and coaching sessions all played a vital role in shaping the edited installations of each HS8 artist.
The exhibition process is used as a learning tool for their future exhibitions, focusing on essential curation skills, communication, work support/furniture, exhibition design, artist statements, labels, and other professional gallery ethics. The Depot ArtSpace played a crucial role in this educational process.
MORE about HS8 first exhibition
HS8 exhibition images: Proof of Concept
HS8’s second and end-of-project exhibition MATERIALISE: 8 Nov 2024 – 16 Feb 2025 will take place at Pah Homestead, Auckland, opening on Thursday, 7 November 2024, from 6-8 pm.
This exhibition synthesizes all the research, feedback, experiments and ideas into a cohesive body of work. A special feedback hui afterwards determines how the processes and outcomes connect (subject to funding).
Exhibiting art in different formats and situations is a rule-bound process that requires practice, feedback, and introduction. The process of creating artwork for exhibitions, participating in its planning, design, setup, installation, lighting, labels, artist statement, promotion, and delivering artist talks are all integral parts of the exhibition learning experience.
Preparing for an exhibition creates pressure and awareness among HS8 artists about the significance of planning, focus, and direction in their development. It requires good editing, a keen creative eye, resilience, and time management to articulate a homogeneous group from the process and finished works.
Books, books, books
In the Handshake 8 journey we have recently begun our Contemporary Jewellery History and Theory classes with the incredible Andrea Daly. It has been wonderful to stretch my brain in the theory space in a much more focused way. One of our first projects for the class...
Tick tock… you don’t stop,
I’ve read that as an artist, you should just never stop making. Then you don’t have to start again. An art practice needs to be practiced. …but I stopped for summer. Life happens, school holidays happen and here we are, end of February, getting started again. When I...
The Irrelevance of Truth in Times Like These
In this post-truth era of intentional misinformation ….I’ve been having a little ponder over ‘memory truth’, and how each persons memory of a situation or object is filtered through the lens of personal experience. Therefore, the truth of a situation is arbitrary,...
Northward bound
I have had such a spectacular beginning to the year. There have been adventuring through Northland over a 10 day period. It was a time full of exploring, hiking and, when I could, collecting. On the trip I took almost 2000 images of everything and anything that caught...
Starting the Year off on a Musical Note
Cor blimey what a roller coaster this one has been. Song writing: These words come to mind… Cathartic Intense Exposing Vulnerable Enriching Expelling An owning of fears An evolving discussion I’ve finally had the guts to add music to my practice. It such a big part...
HS8 E-ON sessions
E presentation workshop ON-E by: Estela Saez Vilanova (CAT-ES) (subject to funding)
A series of Zoom workshops during April – October 2024 about alternative EXHIBTION options with the intention to prepare Handshake 8 artists for their online exhibition submission


