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Maungatūroto’s artist collective MGTO Gallery is celebrating a successful first year with a new exhibition.
Located in the basement of the Holy Trinity Church, the gallery opened its doors last year with the aim of showcasing the work of its own collective of contemporary artists based in the Kaipara area.
“When we opened the gallery in Maungatūroto, we just didn’t know what to expect. We have been really amazed by the response, which has been incredibly positive,” collective member David Gunson says.
Not only has the gallery been a hit with local art lovers and people passing through the area, but it has also become somewhat of a destination in itself.
“We have people travelling up from Auckland specifically to visit the gallery,” Gunson says. “On several occasions, we’ve even had people waiting for us at the door before we’ve opened, which is pretty unheard of for a rural town.”
The gallery’s new exhibition, Small Works 26, opened last week, coinciding with the one-year celebration. The work is a collection of smaller-scale pieces.
“People who come to our exhibitions already remark on what a huge variety of styles we are doing. Sometimes the interpretations will be quite different from each other; there is a real diversity, which is great for a gallery to offer,” Gunson says.
A similar exhibition ran in the gallery last year and proved so popular that the collective has brought it back.
“Artists who work on a smaller scale can be a little bit more experimental. There are just some subjects that work at a smaller scale. Smaller works also make contemporary art a bit more accessible for people to place in their homes,” Gunson says.
Not only is the art created by the collective members, but the artists themselves also staff the gallery, giving visitors a chance to connect with the work, the ideas, and the talent behind the pieces.
“We love being able to see people viewing and appreciating the work,” Gunson says.
Small Works 26 exhibition is on at the MGTO Gallery now.
