Wayne Barrar, Mitchell Bright, David Cook & Wiremu Puke, Liesel Carnie, Caroline McQuarrie & Shaun Matthews, Anton Maurer, Andrew Ross, George Staniland, Tim J Veling, Hannah Watkinson, Kalya Ward, Shaun Waugh, Michael McKeagg. Curated by Harry Culy.

In Situ Photo Project, hosted by Ilam School of Fine Arts, 16 August – 7 September 2017

Where the River Bends brings together a small cross section of contemporary photographic artists and presents the diverse ways in which they have pictured our rivers, streams and waterways. This selection of photographs aims to provide the audience with new perspectives, stories, and insights into one of our most important taonga – our rivers.

This exhibition has emerged out of a mounting sense of urgency around the diverse issues facing New Zealand’s waterways today. Rather than attempting to offer direct answers, Where the River Bends aims to promote open ended dialogue around a multitude of issues facing Aotearoa’s rivers.

As the lifeblood of our small country, New Zealand’s waterways have a direct influence on numerous aspects of our lives. Where the River Bends raises questions concerning our relationships to this country’s waterways and aims to examine our histories, culture, sense of nationhood, the ecology and health of the land and its animals and people. In the future, the pressure on our waterways will continue to increase as they are faced with intensified agricultural practices, a growing population, and the trends of increasing pollution, urbanisation and globalisation.