THE ART BEHIND THE MUSIC

 Lovers of art and music are in for a treat with a slightly delayed appearance of Hellzapoppin’! The Art of Flying Nun at the reopened Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. The show marks the 40th anniversary of legendary Christchurch record label Flying Nun, exploring the art and artists behind the music. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the original debut in August was shifted to 17 September. The exhibition’s opening night – a live music gig – also couldn’t go ahead as originally planned and has been postponed to November. 

“This exhibition is big, it’s colourful, and it’s fun – there’s original artwork and design, film, record covers, posters, and photography from some of New Zealand’s favourite bands,” says Blair Jackson, the gallery director. 

“It’s unfortunate we had to cancel the original opening party last month, but we can assure people the exhibition brings a sense of energy all of its own. Flying Nun was a pivotal player in this period of Kiwi music history, and there’s a lot of creativity and weirdness to be explored here.” 

Bands represented include Straitjacket Fits, Scorched Earth Policy, The Chills, Tall Dwarfs, The Bats, Pin Group, The 3Ds, the Verlaines, The Dead C, Look Blue Go Purple, The Gordons, The Terminals, and many others. 

The artists who brought their music to visual life include Chris Knox, Lesley Maclean, Ronnie van Hout, Robert Scott, Alec Bathgate, John Halvorsen, John Collie, Jane Dodd, Martin Phillipps, and more. 

Hellzapoppin’! The Art of Flying Nun is on at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū until 28 November.