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Gow Langsford’s new Onehunga gallery, visual arts hub and “legacy premises” is an assured addition to New Zealand’s contemporary art scene.
On the corner of Princes St and George Terrace on the outskirts of Onehunga, opposite the big orange Mitre 10 and a stone’s throw from Auckland Radiators sits an
A mesmerising anomaly in a manufacturing precinct, the building is Gow Langsford’s new art gallery, the biggest of its kind in Australasia, and those sculptures are by two of the gallery’s leading artists, David McCracken and Bernar Venet.
Set to open on April 6 with an exhibition of contemporary art, the 2000sq m building contains a pristine new gallery space with soaring ceilings and capacity for museum-grade exhibitions, with two viewing rooms, a suite of artist studios upstairs and an adjoining warehouse.
The vision of John Gow and Gary Langsford, it’s hoped this new building will be their “legacy project”, having founded Gow Langsford in 1987 in Grey Lynn, before relocating to Kitchener St in the 90s and opening a second gallery space on Lorne St in 2011. When that closed in 2021, the plan, says director Anna Jackson, who joined Gow Langsford in 2015, was to take New Zealand art abroad and attend more international art fairs.
The pandemic put paid to that, giving the team “a reason to focus on what we could do here instead”. Since they couldn’t take New Zealand art to the world, they decided to bring the world to Onehunga.
“Opening our flagship gallery in Onehunga is a big step forward,” says John. “Not only is it a business decision, it also reflects our desire to engage with the rich cultural threads of the local environment. Hopefully, it’s a two-way street — seeing us benefit from the diversity of Onehunga, and the community benefit from what we are bringing to it.”
It wasn’t just the location and the promise of extra space that drew the Gow Langsford team to Princes Street, it was the building’s compelling backstory and Bauhaus-inspired design that caught their eye. It was commissioned in 1958 by beauty mogul Helena Rubinstein to house her eponymous skincare and makeup line. Helena was a philanthropist and arts patron with a particular interest in oceanic and African art, and the team likes to think she would approve of the building’s reincarnation as a hub for fine art.
Described soberly in a 1959 edition of Home and Building magazine as a building with “design features novel in New Zealand construction and finish”, it has hallmarks of Bauhaus design, including its simple geometric shape, clean lines and use of practical materials such as concrete and steel. The adjoining warehouse has a beautiful brick facade that’s been retained, and the original steel frame windows have been sandblasted and reglazed.
The previous tenant was an agricultural equipment supplier, and it’s taken nearly two years to transform the space from one housing spray guns and foam makers to a collection of highly influential New Zealand art. But that’s nothing new for the team who cleaned up a petrol station in Grey Lynn and turned it into an art gallery.
Through the elegant glass-doored entry, the 290sq m gallery is the picture of bright white modernity. The interior has been stripped and painted and the perfect shade of light grey adorns the polished concrete floors. An impressive grey marble reception desk welcomes visitors, with a publicly accessible fine arts library and office space to the left.
Then, there’s the art, freshly hung as part of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition This Must Be The Place. John says they wanted to open with a show that brought together a diverse range of artists, and feature work “that connects with themes of place, belonging, and cultural legacy — that’s reasonably broad, so it was an opportunity to include work by artists whose work hasn’t been shown together before. All of the included artists make works that connect with specific places in Aotearoa and Oceania, which is the thread that connects them.”
Directly opposite the entrance is a tapa cloth by Dame Robin White, entitled Your Journey Starts Here, 2022, inspired by the surroundings of Onehunga and Onehunga Mall specifically, offering a snapshot of the place, people and culture through the eyes of the artist — a fitting piece for the opening exhibition.
On a white plinth nearby is the incredible Koro, 2023, by Reuben Paterson, a cast aluminium shell sprayed with white automotive paint and adorned with clusters of cut-glass crystals, a shimmering spectacle under the gallery lights. There are other important works on display from distinguished artists like Shane Cotton, John Pule, Laurence Aberhart and Paul Dibble, like a roll call of New Zealand’s best.
As well as pieces from artists represented by Gow Langsford, there are works from emerging artists and “rising stars of the New Zealand art scene” such as Raukura Turei, Ayesha Green and Areez Katki.
“Then there are some works by important artists that are no longer with us,” says John, “such as Sally Gabori. She was an amazing indigenous Australian painter who first started painting in her 80s. She made an extraordinary body of work that mostly explored her ancestral homeland of Bentinck Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
“[This exhibition is] a case of presenting a diverse range of artworks and practices that explore place and belonging and reflect the diversity of our city and country as it is today.”
To the gallery’s rear are two private viewing rooms for hanging works in situ. These black-carpeted, white-walled rooms are being hung with works by Colin McCahon and Dale Frank on the day Viva visits. An armchair allows clients to sit back and imagine the piece in their homes or offices.
These viewing rooms will allow emerging artists without a full body of work to have pieces hung for private viewings too. “We’re trying to do things differently,” says Anna. “But to be honest we’re figuring out things as we go.” With the new space comes new opportunities, but also new ways of working — the team isn’t sure when people are most likely to visit a suburban gallery, and they’ll play some things by ear. It’s part of the fun.
Like the eight freshly painted artists’ studios upstairs with windows that frame views of Māngere Mountain, Hillsborough Bay and the leafy heritage streets of Onehunga. Once an office space with ‘70s-style partition walls, “it just seemed perfect for artist studios,” says Anna. The creativity and collegiality these rooms will provide artists into the future feel palpable, with the sun streaming in, those views, and the breadth of art and artists featured in the gallery.
The artists’ studios are set to launch about a month after the gallery opens and Gow Langsford plans to have them run independently of the gallery. Artists can apply to use the studios and successful candidates will receive a one or two-year residency at a reduced cost, partly funded by private arts patrons.
“The studios will be set up under a charitable trust and financially supported by a range of patrons, and there will be an independent panel that selects the participating artists,” says John. “It will be an incubator environment for promising young artists, with some more senior artists to work alongside them.”
It’s a vision the Gow Langsford Gallery team hopes to invite the wider Onehunga arts community to be a part of too.
“Members of the local arts community will be welcome to visit the gallery and engage with the work and our knowledgeable staff. We have a publicly accessible fine arts library, and we will be holding artist talks, performances, and arts events. I think all of that adds up to a great new development for the local art scene,” says John.
“This project allows us to give back to the community that has made our gallery successful over time. Ultimately, it’s something that will outlive us, though it will continue to be an environment for the best art this country has to offer for decades to come. That’s the legacy we want to create.”
Gow Langsford Gallery Onehunga opens on April 6, with a public opening day from 12-4pm. RSVP to the opening day here. Regular opening hours are Thursday and Fridays, 10am-5pm and Saturdays 10am-4pm or by appointment. 4 Princes St, Onehunga.
What it means for New Zealand artists
John Pule, artist
On design: My first response when I stood outside was the scale of the building, and as I walked through the front door it was excitement, suddenly I felt the warmth, the fire, stunning rooms throughout the building, dazzling future sensations. The gallery shares opportunities to keep exploring the art, experiences that bind, stories that keep moving, never stagnate.
On community: [The gallery will] promote diversity and inclusivity and nurture cultural dialogue with the community.
Grace Wright, artist
On design: This new gallery space is multifaceted and I believe this is the most innovative aspect. The way the exhibition spaces flow together, and offer different viewing experiences from intimate dark spaces to grand light-filled exhibition rooms. The artist studios on the top floor, the ability to hold events supported by a full catering space, and library make this a unique artistic hub.
On legacy: The concept and vision of this space are reminiscent of exhibition spaces found overseas in places like London or New York. I’m thinking particularly of Victoria Miro in London, with their larger premises in Islington and a second smaller space in Mayfair. The difference of these exhibition spaces offers a chance for the artists to respond differently and a changing experience for visitors. I’ve often thought Aotearoa is a great place to be an artist and Gow Langsford’s investment in the local arts community only further strengthens our place on the global stage.
Dick Frizzell, artist
On design: I remember marvelling at the original building when I used to drive over to Mitre 10′s garden centre (best in Auckland) for lettuce plants and Blitzem. It had obviously been a grand bit of architecture in its day and I was astounded to hear that my erstwhile dealers of some 35 years or so, had bought it! But I remembered back in the very beginning when they bought a service station in Grey Lynn … as if that was a good idea! Well, it was as it happened, and so has every iteration of the Gow Langsford Gallery ever since.
And the refurb. It’s so confident, so self-assured, that you can’t help thinking there’s going to have to be a general uplift in the local artistic environment to meet it. I’m buzzing about it personally. I’m happy to have lasted this long to see it. Even if I feel a bit of a downsizing coming on in my own studio practice.
On community: I kept saying to Gary as we walked around, ‘Is the New Zealand art racket even up to this? How sure of art’s future are you?’. He didn’t say much, but his smile said everything … that and the architecture.
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