‘It was so Surreal’, is a common expression of strange visual phenomena which may feel fantastical, absurdist, dream-or nightmare-like, or as if ‘reality’ is muddled with the bizarre. The genes of Surrealist art are widespread in contemporary art practices today, but also in visual culture at large, such as film and advertising; so much so, we take them for granted. 

In honour of The Chartwell Collection’s 50th anniversary, Stop Making Sense showcases 15 works from the Collection, which is held on long-term loan with the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, a major Anniversary lending partner. Ranging across sculpture, photography, painting, and drawing, these artworks sometimes have a pointed reference to Surrealism, while others have Surreal traits, such as unexpected juxtapositions of things or objects, imaginative mindscapes, and suggestively hybrid forms. Few artists today would call themselves Surrealists, however, its influence is pervasive. To further explore the theme of Surrealist legacies in (mostly) New Zealand art of the late twentieth century to today, further striking examples from our own and other collections provide other fascinating links to the themes and preoccupations of the European Surrealist (and Dada) artists. 

Stop Making Sense: Surrealist Legacies is a Chartwell 50th Anniversary Project