Len Lye: Agiagia

Len Lye: Agiagia accompanies the exhibition of the same name - a collaboration between the Govett-Brewster and the Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku.

Presented December 2013 – March 2014, the exhibition Len Lye: Agiagia concerns Lye's early practice, focusing attention on Lye's fusion of European Modernism with his own distinctly local vision. It is the first showcase of Lye's work in South Auckland.

Taking its title from a Samoan word expressing the notion of 'natural billowing movement', Agiagia reflects the landscapes that inspired Len Lye's work.

Curated by Paul Brobbel (Acting Len Lye Curator, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery) and James Pinker (Senior Programme Leader, Arts and Culture, Auckland Council), the exhibition includes experimental film, kinetic sculpture, drawing, photography and archival materials - with a focus on the artist's early work during the 1920s.

At the heart of Len Lye: Agiagia is the first of Lye's groundbreaking experimental films, Tusalava (1929), a fusion of the modern format of avant-garde cinema with the organic spirit of Lye's oceanic home.

The publication includes images of works included in the exhibition alongside writing by Paul Brobbel, Andrew Clifford, Len Lye and James Pinker.

Gold Award Winner – 2014 Pride In Print, Publications/Books Category

Co-Published by Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Mangere Arts Centre , 2013
ISBN: 978-0-908848-75-1
Pages: 72
Dimensions: 148 x 199mm