Table 

by Paul Cullen

14 November 2009 - 20 June 2010

A solo exhibition by Paul Cullen 'cobbled together from ordinary things' that explores the movement and management of water.  Is it office furniture, or is it a device for moving water?

Artist’s Statement

"Table" is a sculptural work made from ordinary objects, modified with buckets and tanks fitted and plumbed to allow the circulation of water. Small electric water pumps move the water through plastic hoses, at one end attached to a section of wooden ruler.
"Table"  retains its identity as an ordinary useful thing yet it is adapted to some new yet-undisclosed purpose. iT could be a makeshift scientific device, for moving and measuring water, or elaborate Heath Robinson machine for circulating water from one container to another.
"Table" could be taken as a model, possibly of the universe or perhaps of a garden.
Marcel Duchamp once famously claimed that the difference between art and architecture was plumbing, in this instance it is the difference between furniture and sculpture.

artist's bio

Paul Cullen b. 1949 Te Awamutu

B.Sc. Auckland University
Dip FA (Honours in Sculpture) Canterbury University.
MFA (1st Class Honours) Auckland University.
Doctorate of Fine Arts, 2007.

1971
Graduated B.Sc., University of Auckland.

1975
First solo show, Centre Gallery, Christchurch.
Hansells Sculpture Award, Wairapa Arts Centre, Masterton.

Graduated DFA (Honours), Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, Christchurch.

1976
New Zealand Drawing, Auckland City Art Gallery.

1977
Solo exhibition, Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland.
Young Contemporaries, Auckland City Art Gallery.

1978
Auckland Artists, Auckland City Art Gallery.
Mildura Sculpture Triennial, Victoria, Australia.
New Zealand Sculptors at Mildura, QEII Arts Council national tour.

1979
Building Structures, Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland.

1980
Hansells Sculpture Award, Wairapa Arts Centre, Masterton.

1981
ANZART, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch.

1982
On Construction, RKS Art, Auckland.
ARTEDER '82 International Drawing Exhibition, Bilboa, Spain.
Hansells Sculpture Award, Wairapa Arts Centre, Masterton.

1983
Table Series, RKS Art, Auckland.
Table Series (disjunctions), Brooke Gifford Galleries, Christchurch.
Concerning Constructions, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch.

1984
QEII Arts Council Grant.

1985
Structural situations. RKS Art, Auckland.
ANZART. Auckland City Art Gallery.

1986
Sculpture and drawings. Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton.
National Sculpture Award, Wairarapa Art Foundation, Masterton.
Content/Context. Shed 11, National Art Gallery, Wellington.
Goodman Suter Biennale. Bishop Suter Gallery, Nelson.
Aspects of Recent New Zealand Art: Sculpture 1. Auckland City Art Gallery.
Totems. CSA Gallery, Christchurch.

1987
Sculpture, RKS Art, Auckland.
Sub(urban). Installation, Wellington City Art Gallery.

1988
Uncanny Atopia Fiction. Artspace, Auckland.
The City, CSA Gallery, Christchurch.

1989
Natural Laws/universal homes. CSA Gallery, Christchurch.
Sculpture and drawings. Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland.

1990
Sculpture, Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch.

1991
The moon / navigation. Artspace, Auckland.
Sculpture, Exhibition Centre, Hastings.
Explaining the results of observation. Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton.
Wild West 91. Facsimiles, Lopdell Gallery, Auckland.
The Chair Show. CSA Gallery, Christchurch.
Home Made Home. Wellington City Art Gallery

1992
Sculpture. Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch.
Sculpture. Fox Gallery, Auckland.
A variety of theories. Installation, Lopdell Gallery, Auckland.
Tables and Lamps. CSA Gallery, Christchurch.
Site Related Works. Lopdell House Gallery, Auckland.
A Breath of Fresh Art, The Bath House, Rotorua.

Tutor, Design School Unitec.
Architectural Computing, Auckland University School of Architecture.
Assessing Student Achievement, Educational Development Course, Unitec.

1993
Science (inconclusive evidence) - Installation, Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton.
Pool Complex. The Teps Show, Outreach Gallery, Auckland.

QE II Arts Council award for travel in USA.
Travel in USA visiting museums, sculpture parks, site-related sculpture and projects involving artist-designer collaboration.
Advanced Architectural Computing, Auckland University School of Architecture.

1994
Science - Installation, Artspace Auckland.
Reconstructed furniture & blackboard drawings, Aberhart-North Gallery, Auckland.
Recent Discoveries - Installation, Fisher Gallery, Auckland.
Boxed, ASA Gallery, Auckland.
Kiss the Coffee Good-bye, Rosinis Restaurant, Auckland.

Tutor in sculpture, ASA School of Art.
Landscape Design History, Theory and Practice, Unitec.
German language, University of Auckland Continuing Education.
Collaborated with landscape architects Patrick Corfe and Associates on design development for park.

1995
Six Drawings, Ferlinghettis Cafe, Auckland.
Small Works, ASA Gallery, Auckland.
Tutors Exhibition, ASA Gallery, Auckland.

Tutor in sculpture at ASA School of Art.
Landscape Design History, Theory and Practice, Unitec.
German language, University of Auckland Continuing Education.

1996
Discovery of Oxygen, Sculpture, Artspace, Auckland.
Drawings, Drawings Gallery, Auckland.
Star Projects, Vrieshuis Amerika, Amsterdam.
Pin-ups, The Drawings Gallery, Auckland.
Chairs, Vavasour/Godkin Gallery, Auckland.

Lecturer in Drawing, Manukau Institute of Technology.
Moet & Chandon Artist Fellowship - Avize, France.
Goethe Institut Artist Scholarship.
German Language Course, Goethe Institut Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Germany.
Creative New Zealand award for study & travel in Germany and Italy.
Travel in France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Italy and USA.

1997
Discovery of Oxygen, Sculpture, Jensen Gallery, Wellington.
100 x 100 x 100, Group exhibition, The Drawings Gallery, Auckland.

Lecturer in Sculpture & Drawing, Manukau Institute Technology.
External moderator for sculpture and installation courses - Waikato Polytechnic Bachelor of Media Arts programme.

1998
View, Room 3, Auckland.
Boxes, Museum of Installation, London.
Gravity, Lopdell House Gallery, Auckland.
Rulers, The Drawings Gallery, Auckland.
In Vitro - Appliance, Fisher Gallery, Auckland.
Natural Selection, Rezone, ACC Car Park, Greys Ave, Auckland.

Lecturer in Charge of Sculpture, Manukau Institute of Technology.
MIT Educational Development, Course Design & Development.
Assessor for Bursary Sculpture.

1999
Gravity/Model for a Hypothetical Space, Sofa Gallery, University of Canterbury.
Incident at Z-152, Sculpture in the Gardens, McDougall Art Gallery
"Passage" - Outdoor work commissioned for St Peter's College, Auckland.
Works on Paper, Rhode Island School of Design, USA

Lecturer in Charge of Sculpture, Manukau Institute of Technology.
Candidate for MFA in Sculpture, University of Auckland.
External assessor for Sculpture & Photography at AIT.
Secondary Supervisor for Masters programme, AIT.
Assessor for Bursary Sculpture
Artist in Residence. June/July. Canterbury University, Christchurch.

2000
PP 19-27 Everything (Drawings)
Everything (Installation) George Fraser Gallery. Auckland.
Box Project - touring exhibition, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham Turnpike Gallery Manchester, Museum of Installation London.

Lecturer in Charge of Sculpture, Manukau Institute of Technology.
Completed MFA (1st Class Honours) Auckland University.
Creative NZ grant for sculpture research in The Netherlands, England, Germany and Spain.
MIT research grant to assist with the publication of a catalogue.

2001
Hybrid, Elam Graduation 2001, George Fraser Gallery, Auckland.
Interior Horizons: Art on the verge of architecture and design, Group show, Te Tuhi, Pakuaranga, Auckland.
A Sculpture Show - Paul Cullen, Manu Scott, Allen French, Cite, Ponsonby, Auckland.

Lecturer in Charge of Sculpture, Manukau Institute of Technology.

2002
Finalist - Waikato Art Awards, Hamilton.
Finalist - Wallace Awards, Auckland Museum.
Becroft Garden Exhibition of Sculpture, Takapuna,
Diagrams, Gallery 40 George Street, Mt Eden, Auckland.
Practical Knowledge, window work for the Auckland Art Gallery.
Pencil Installations, East Cape Light House, Napier Foreshore, Germany & Belgium.

Senior Lecturer in Charge of Sculpture, School of Visual Arts, University of Auckland at Manukau.
Judge - NZILA Biennial National Landscape Awards.
Doctoral candidate University of Auckland.
MIT Research Grant to attend Documenta 11 in Kassel Germany, Manifesta 4 in Frankfurt am Main Germany in June/July .

2003           
Inn-House – on the fringe of heaven, group exhibition, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere City.
Strange Things Might Work Project at Blue Oyster, Dunedin.
UpFront: the foyer art project, Auckland.
Still Life a group exhibition -(Model for a Hypothetical Space), 40 George St, Auckland.
Finalist – Wallace Art Awards
Finalist - Waikato Art Awards, Hamilton.
Wonderland, group exhibition, Artspace, Auckland. Portraiture - the art of social commentary, a group show curated by Rhoda Fowler, te tuhi, Pakuranga
'Shooting Star ' - Nine Dragons 8th International Environmental Art Symposium, Chung-Buk, Korea. Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Waiheke Island

Principal Lecturer Research, Subject Coordinator Sculpture, Manukau School of Visual Arts.

2004           
Everything, solo exhibition, 40 George Street, Auckland. Attempts Project K, Vacancy, group show at te tuhi – the mark, Pakuranga Auckland. Curators Monique Redmond & Ron Left.
Antigravity Incident, an installation at Show, Wellington Works on Paper, group show, 40 George Street, Auckland
Generation 50, group show, Te Wa Gallery, Wanganui. Nine Dragons 9th International Environmental Art Symposium, Chung-Buk, Korea.
4 New Zealand and 4 Australian artists. Gallery Picci, Seoul, South Korea.
A contributor to Remember NZ at the 26thSao Paulo Bienal, Brazil. Curator Tobias Berger.
Seeds of Order, Chaos of Rhythms, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland. Curator Allan Smith.

Doctoral candidate University of Auckland.
Principal Lecturer Research, Subject Coordinator Sculpture, Manukau School of Visual Arts.

2004/2005           
Proposal for an unrelated site, Christchurch Art Gallery. (November/February)
Attempts (Project K). Vacancy. Te Tuhi, Pakuranga Auckland.Falsework (Antigravity). Show Gallery Wellington.
Attempts (Project K). Gallery Picci, Seoul South Korea.
The Chemistry of Familiar Objects. Cheongu Art Centre, South Korea.
Drawings. Te Wa Gallery, Wanganui.
South. NZ at Sao Paulo Bienale, Brazil. Curator Tobias Berger.The Chemistry of Familiar Objects. Seeds of Order, Chaos of Rhythms. Anna Bibby Gallery Auckland. Curator Allan Smith.
Everything. 40 George St, Auckland
Still Life. Te Tuhi, Pakuranga Auckland. Curator Rhoda Fowler.
2005
The sketch of the outward appearance, 40 George Street, Auckland.
Meeting Roland Barthes, Group Show, The Signal, Hamillton.
The unreliability of gravity, Small Sculptures. 64zero3, Christchurch.
Attempts, 40 George Street, Auckland.
NatureCulture, 40 George Street, Auckland.
Logic of Sense. Winston Window project Amsterdam
Second Problem. Blue Oyster Gallery Dunedin.

2006
The Orange Theory #2 , te tuhi-the mark, Pakuranga, Auckland.
Attempts, as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. 40 George Street, Auckland.
The Orange Theory #1. Trust Waikato Art Awards, Waikato Art Museum.
The Gravity Problem. (4 Drawings), part of Drawn to it..., group exhibition, 40 George Street, Auckland.
Paul Cullen designs for Dilana, 40 George Street, Auckland.

2007
The Summer Season Group Show, 40 George Street, Auckland.
Cultivating Nature, group show, 40 George Street, Auckland.
The Chemistry of Familiar Objects, George Fraser Gallery, University of Auckland. (Doctorate Exhibition)
Falsework, Conical Inc. Melbourne, Australia.
The Chemistry of Three, New Artist Installation Projects, Models Whangarei Art Museum.
Stockholm Falsework, HAP Projects Stockholm, Sweden.
Paul Cullen:Falsework, Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Lost (sculpture) Trust Waikato Art Awards, Waikato Art Museum. Doctorate of Fine Arts.

2008
Displacements. Artists project ZX#4 Journal.
Models methods and assumptions, Peloton Gallery, Sydney.

ZX#4. Journal of the Manukau School of Visual Arts. Editor o2. Artist publication revised and republished in collaboration with Richard Dale.
Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts, AUT University, Auckland.

2009
Falsework. Port Loggia Gallery, USCAD University Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.
Reductions. Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Reductions. Peloton Gallery Sydney. 16 July – 8 August.
Headlands Sculpture, Waiheke Island. (January 2009)

Future:
A Garden of Objects. Te Papa Sculpture Deck. 28 November 2009 – May 2010
Table. Waikato Art Museum.19 October 2009 - 20 June 2010

In progress:
Auckland Weather Stations. With Rod Barnett Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Unitec Auckland.
Collaborative project for Korea. With Andy Thompson AUT University

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Were, Virginia. Here Come the Tourists. Art News Winter 2005.
Hurrell, John. All My Trialogues, Z/X Local 1, Manukau School of Visual Arts.
Clifford, Andrew. A theory of Everything, NZH 27.10.2004
Dunn, Michael. New Zealand Sculpture a History, Auckland University Press, 2002. Page 129. Cullen, Paul & Hendry, Michaela Observatory, Auckland, 2002.
Morgan, Kendrah. Window Work - Paul Cullen, Auckland Art Gallery Newsletter March-May 2002.
Barnett, Rod. Garden for an Observatory, from Paul Cullen catalogue, 2000.
The Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Artists - painters, printmakers, sculptors, Gilt Edge Publishing, Wellington. 2000.
Milburn, Felicity. Incident at Z-152, Essay for Sculpture in the Gardens Catalogue, McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch 1999.
Leach, Maddie. Labours Left Unfinished, Catalogue Essay for Gravity/Model for a Hypothetical Space, Sofa Gallery, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 1999
Pitts, Priscilla. Contemporary New Zealand Sculpture, Thames & Hudson, London & New York, 1998.
Smith, Allan. 'notes towards', 1997. (Unpublished essay)
Brown, Warwick Another 100 New Zealand Artists, Godwit, 1996. Page 22.
Dale, Richard. Catalogue essay for 'Discovery of Oxygen', Artspace, Auckland, 1996.
Stuart, Caleb. Thoughts on Science, Technology and Art, Stellarc, Harley, Cullen and Kum, Post - internet ezine of the Dept of Art History, Auckland University.
Strongman, Lara. Weird Science. Catalogue essay for 'Recent Discoveries', Fisher Gallery, Auckland. 1994.
Dale, Richard 'Site, Architecture & Perspective'. Essay to accompany an installation at Lopdell Gallery Auckland 1992.
Smith, Allan. 'An art of possibilities'. Catalogue essay for 'Explaining the Results of Observation', Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton 1991.
Johnston, Alexa. Paul Cullen. Catalogue essay for 'Aspects of Recent New Zealand Art: Sculpture 1', Catalogue. Auckland City Art Gallery,