Ronnie van Hout will be holding a solo exhibiton titled I've seen Things at The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, New Zealand from 7th July — 11 November 2012.
The title of the show hints at secrets and insider knowledge. I've seen things is taken from a scene in the iconic sci-fi film Blade Runner. Set in a futuristic Los Angeles in 2019, Blade Runner examines memory and identity, asking, what does it take to be human?
I've Seen Things places Blade Runner in a larger plot that mines real and fictional stories, with the artist himself inserted into the heart of the tale. Van Hout can usually be found front and centre stage in his work, the artist offering us endless versions of his own self in the form of models, stand-ins, duplications and distortions.
In I've Seen Things, van Hout inserts himself within a bigger historical narrative; that of Canterbury's The Full Gospel Mission, or the 'God Squad', as they were commonly known. A religious cult based around Christchurch from the 1970s through to their disbandment in 2002, I've Seen Things documents their story, one already filtered through rumour, scandal and intrigue, as a tale of downfall.
Ronnie van Hout
I've Seen Things
7th July — 11 November 2012
The Dowse Art Museum
45 Laings Road
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
www.newdowse.org.nz