Art Snorkel - Art Meets Rugby

Rugby is upon us, whether you like it or not. New Zealand is unlikely ever to host an event of this capacity again, so everyone is going manic pulling out all the stops for the tourists – as they should be.

The Wellington art community will be doing its best to put on a good of show of sportsmanship outside the stadium with some dazzling art shows bearing a rugby slant. The national pastime has not featured a great deal in the history of New Zealand art bar a few attempts by well-known artists, which were more a stab in the dark than a decent grapple with the iconic sport.

Actually, some have quietly been waiting for just such an opportunity – not that artists need an excuse for portraying mainstream subject matter. Being all about rugby, however, which divides a lot of people, the World Cup is a great time to go balls out (no pun intended) and see how the national game sneaks in the gallery door and on to the cultured white walls of the gallery establishment.

First up is an epic photography show that has been touring the country. Hard on the Heels: Capturing the All Blacks at the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, Queens Wharf, is a suite of more than 100 stunning rugby photographs by veteran photographer Peter Bush. For 50 years Bush has, through luck, superb skills as a sports photographer and good management, been on the spot for landmark moments in New Zealand and international rugby. Establishing relationships with all the greats of the game, his lens has captured the glory, shared in the sadness, and caught intimate moments on and off the field. In addition to the gallery of images, many of them mural-sized, the exhibition also features video footage of Bush ellaborating on many of the images, telling stories and revealing dramatic moments in his quest for sports photography perfection. The Museum of Wellington City and Sea is a must-visit for any history buff – revealing Wellington’s history as a port and its growth as the capital. 27 August – 30 October, 10am–5pm daily.

Situated just around the waterfront and running throughout September is the open-air exhibition The Black Boot Legends Gallery. One hundred 2-metre-high images from renowned New Zealand rugby photographers, some of which have never been published before, will be pasted onto the pavement.

And just across the harbour at Lesa Gallery in Petone is the group exhibition Up and Under: The Art of Rugby (3 September – 22 October). The show will feature artists Chris Van Doren, Peter Lendvai, James Harcourt, Rona Osbourne, Charlotte Graham, Karley Feaver, Lina Marsh and Basia Smolnicki, and works ranging from enhanced digital shots of rugby stadiums to screenprints of hotdog stands.