Dan Arps
Nirvana Park
3 East St
20 October — 09 December 2023
Information
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, steel and polystyrene composite panels, acrylic paint, aluminium, fixings, 2000 x 3850 x 2290mm
Dan Arps, Figure Study, 2023, polyester appliqué flag, hessian, printed towels, sweat shirt, knitted polyester, steel, plaster, fibreglass, wheels, New World brand “Kiwifruit” shopping bag, 1370 x 1040 x 870mm
Dan Arps, Grid Study Redux, 2023, Polyurethane, galvanised steel, acrylic paint, epoxy 550 x 655 x 120mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, silicone polyurethane, unfired clay, paper cup, plastic coated wire basket, ceramic, nylon rope, plastic 650 x 820 x 185mm overall
Dan Arps, Pavilion Study II, 2023, tinted acrylic, polystyrene, epoxy, plastic bucket, 380 x 330 x 380mm
Dan Arps, Pavilion study with office chair, 2023, office chair, polystyrene, cement, steel, 920 x 550 x 580mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Pavilion Study, 2023, tinted acrylic, polystyrene, epoxy, MDF, acrylic paint, cement, 1020 x 580 x 450mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Black hole sun / little fluffy clouds, 2023, Polyurethane, Dacron stuffing, acrylic paint, clear acrylic, epoxy putty, 360 x 515 x 75mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Avatar, 2023, Polystyrene, glue, acrylic coating, 2360 x 640 x 620mm
Dan Arps, Avatar (detail), 2023, Polystyrene, glue, acrylic coating, 2360 x 640 x 620mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Study for Rangitoto squat, 2023, Polystyrene, rock, sand, PLA, epoxy putty, polyurethane, wood, brass, aluminium, printed cotton, acrylic paint, 500 x 1200 x 390mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps
Nirvana Park
3 East St
20 October — 09 December 2023
Nirvana Park is a solo presentation of new works by Tāmaki Makaurau based artist Dan Arps. Grungy yet architectural, a series of sculptures explore the phenomena of reserves in suburban areas, so-called blank sites that evade productivity and instead operate as spaces to gather and places of refuge. Adopting models such as the pavilion, the maquette, the diorama and even figurative sculpture, Arps constructs rudimentary and cartoonish elements with the aid of motley materialities.
Dark grey planes of re-claimed industrial materials make up large, dominant structures, these form open rooms with precariously supported walls and archways. Uneven and curvilinear pieces create cartoonish shapes that nonetheless bear a resemblance to large-scale public art in corporate or civic spaces. For the artist this configuration produces a kind of pavilion, one that recalls a myriad of structures and spaces co-opted by teens, lovers, nightwalkers and rough sleepers, anyone who seeks a temporary reprieve in a place that is neither domestic, nor commercial.
Arps has used a range of materials for this new body of work including found materials and office waste, polystyrene and combined these with more traditional art-making and modelling materials. The pavilion is accompanied by sculptures on wheels, idiosyncratic elements with the ability to be mobile, even itinerant. Accompanying maquettes, diorama and vitrines flatten the usual hierarchies of making sculpture so that there is no distinction between the conventions of studies and final artworks. An encounter with the parts of Arps’ installation allow visitors to reflect on cheeky, non-habitual and crafty ways of engaging with our surrounding built environments.
Nirvana Park is Dan Arp’s eighth solo exhibition at Michael Lett.
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Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, steel and polystyrene composite panels, acrylic paint, aluminium, fixings, 2000 x 3850 x 2290mm
Dan Arps, Figure Study, 2023, polyester appliqué flag, hessian, printed towels, sweat shirt, knitted polyester, steel, plaster, fibreglass, wheels, New World brand “Kiwifruit” shopping bag, 1370 x 1040 x 870mm
Dan Arps, Grid Study Redux, 2023, Polyurethane, galvanised steel, acrylic paint, epoxy 550 x 655 x 120mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, silicone polyurethane, unfired clay, paper cup, plastic coated wire basket, ceramic, nylon rope, plastic 650 x 820 x 185mm overall
Dan Arps, Pavilion Study II, 2023, tinted acrylic, polystyrene, epoxy, plastic bucket, 380 x 330 x 380mm
Dan Arps, Pavilion study with office chair, 2023, office chair, polystyrene, cement, steel, 920 x 550 x 580mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Pavilion Study, 2023, tinted acrylic, polystyrene, epoxy, MDF, acrylic paint, cement, 1020 x 580 x 450mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Black hole sun / little fluffy clouds, 2023, Polyurethane, Dacron stuffing, acrylic paint, clear acrylic, epoxy putty, 360 x 515 x 75mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Avatar, 2023, Polystyrene, glue, acrylic coating, 2360 x 640 x 620mm
Dan Arps, Avatar (detail), 2023, Polystyrene, glue, acrylic coating, 2360 x 640 x 620mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St
Dan Arps, Study for Rangitoto squat, 2023, Polystyrene, rock, sand, PLA, epoxy putty, polyurethane, wood, brass, aluminium, printed cotton, acrylic paint, 500 x 1200 x 390mm
Dan Arps, Nirvana Park, 2023, Installation view, Michael Lett 3 East St