PUBLICATION publisher Perceval Press

Known as the dashing, sword-wielding Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen is also a painter, photographer, and poet. Over the last four years, during filming, the American actor spends long periods in Wellington. Acting commitments leave little time for painting, but this provides an impetus to evolve as a photographer. The city’s streets, hills, and coasts—the strong clear light and the constant movement of winds and tides that characterise our coastal city—become Mortensen's subject matter. This show of his photos of Wellington—including views of Courtenay Place, Mount Victoria, Lyall Bay, and Kapiti—is presented in our Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, which is devoted to exhibiting Wellington artists. Another concurrent show at Massey University surveys Mortenson’s photography. The two shows are together titled Mō te Upoko-o-te-Ika: For Wellington.