Parlour Projects has selected Grace Wright as the recipient of it inaugural artist-in-residency programme. The programme seeks to bring an important artist to Hawke’s Bay each year to research and develop new work that responds to the environment and landscape of the region, whilst enabling the local community to experience influential contemporary art without having to travel to major cities and art hubs.

From May 22 to June 2, Wright will create a large-scale installation on the gallery’s main viewing wall, which measures 11 x 6 metres. “This is my most ambitious project to date,” says Wright. “This work is about developing my ideas around the pleasure of viewing and taking it from looking to experiencing.”

“The audience will not only get lost in the vortex of gestures but also be returned to their physical form through experiencing the relative scale and sound,” states Wright. “While the edge of the canvas usually dictates the end of a work, this installation will make the whole space the grounds for a painting. I liken it to being near a mountain; because of your comparative size, you feel very small, low to the ground and immediately aware of your physical body. I want to re-create this same sensation. The work towers over you, and wraps around you.”

The public is invited to visit the Parlour Projects during Wright’s residency. The installation will then form part of a solo exhibition, Breathing Room, which will open on the evening of June 2. A sound work and six large paintings will accompany the installation. www.parlourprojects.com