A Pointed Message: Rārangi-1

Abstract

In this essay, using the example of Rārangi 1, I hope to show that Reed (born 1950, Christchurch, New Zealand) is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative and observant of New Zealand’s contemporary artists. While he is best known for his contributions to printmaking, with prints such as Just Testing? Sit and Watch on the Atoll Range (1993) and Binding Statements (1999), he is, by his own admission, an artist who is hard to pin down. Reed’s experimental practice is underpinned by a life-long commitment to the ever-versatile medium of printmaking and the ideals of social justice.

In a career spanning five decades, he has never been stuck for ideas or the right ways to express them[1]. He has been exhibiting steadily since the 1970s, often alongside better-known New Zealand artists such as Barry Cleavin, Ralph Hotere, Gordon Walters and Don Peebles (Brooke Gifford Gallery, 1977). He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, and his work, which has been shown in Australia, South America, Cuba, the United States, Europe and Japan, is held in collections all over the world, including the British Museum (Reed, 2017).