20 August 2024

It may be coincidence, but the first exhibition City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi is showing in partnership with National Library of New Zealand Te Puna o Mātauranga o Aotearoa is all about letters.

Julian Hooper: The Letter is a City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi exhibition shown at National

Library of New Zealand Te Puna o Mātauranga o Aotearoa from 24 August to 16 November.

Featuring works from the Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist, it celebrates and interrogates the endlessly iterative nature of the alphabet and includes paintings, works on paper and a new alphabet frieze that has also been made into a beautifully-designed foldout alphabet for visitors to take away.

City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi is partnering with National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, to continue to bring exhibitions like Hooper’s to Wellington while the gallery is temporarily away from home.

Initially developed for City Gallery’s building in Te Ngākau Civic Square, curator Megan Dunn says the exhibition is a good fit for the new National Library of New Zealand location.

“It’s a really nice connection that has been a happy accident,” says Megan.

“Art is the word. The Letter celebrates the endless potential of the alphabet as a visual tool. If you love wordle you’ll love this exhibition.”

Hooper is well-known for creating playful and puzzling compositions that slip in and out of geometric abstraction.

Over the past decade, his work has developed an idiosyncratic visual language drawing on letters, numbers and symbols. Stylish and stylised, his palette has been pared back.

“They are often black and white, like an old-school chalkboard, but they’re really catchy and have instant visual hooks,” says Megan.

“We wanted visitors to be able to have their own Hooper alphabet, so we made it into a foldout frieze, with my essay about Julian’s love of letters on the back. It’s a double whammy!”

Hooper created his first alphabet painting in 2018, setting the tone and direction for his recent work.

His letter paintings can be read, literally and metaphorically. Groups of numbers become faces and portraits, individual letters and words are made strange again.

“An example is an abstract painting on an apricot background with curled lines. The title reads cuticle and instantly you can see a nail cuticle in the painting,” says Megan.

“His works have puns and playfulness in them that will naturally appeal to those who love puzzles and visual puns. They’re seemingly simplistic but they stem from years of process and play. The Letter acknowledges this terrific chapter in his painting practise.

“I love the way the alphabet can be played with endlessly, it’s a teaching tool for young children but also has a strong history within graphic design, art and typography. It’s kind of a designers’ delight.”

Hooper first started designing and copying the alphabet at intermediate school. His early touchstones include The Speedball Textbook and the posters and lettering of Milton Glaser.

The Letter is the first in a series of exhibitions that City Gallery will deliver at National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa throughout 2024 and 2025.

“Art and literature have always been close companions and we’re excited to bring Pōneke more exhibitions at our National Library of New Zealand location. This is just the beginning,” says Megan.