Gretchen Albrecht: Liquid States

Water interests me at the moment, water as source, containment, dispersion; the moving, ever-changing surface of it requires a kind of marking, a painterly surface that emphasises changeability. Gretchen Albrecht, 1988

Liquid States is a major survey of the work of eminent artist Gretchen Albrecht, curated by Te Uru Curator James Gatt. Spanning four gallery spaces at Te Uru, the exhibition draws on figurative and abstract works from the 1970s and 80s to consider the ongoing conceptual and material significance of liquidity in Albrecht’s practice. Liquidity is adopted as an apt framework for considering the tussle between motion and stasis, articulation of nature through painting, and fluid stylistic development that are fundamental to Albrecht’s approach. Her 1970s stain paintings have a strong connection to Titirangi, drawing inspiration from the scenic surrounding landscape of the West Coast, and provided a natural ingress for an exhibition at Te Uru. From this point, Liquid States charts a specific relation between these works and Albrecht’s more drippy, gestural paintings of the 1980s, illustrating a shared utilisation of the limpid, fluid qualities of thinned acrylics, gouache and watercolours to embody the flux and rhythms of nature. Significant, large-scale works from both decades will be exhibited alongside more intimate works on paper, indicating Albrecht’s fluid approach to style during these ostensibly disparate periods.