Reality is an Opinion

Dates to be announced | FREE ENTRY

Reality is an Opinion is a nod to the addictive and nature of television as a source of reality. By both celebrating and questioning the medium of television, with consideration of news bulletins, the surge of fake news and the mainstay of reality TV, we will consider how this mainstream media has become entrenched in our social consciousness as consumers of the world through our TV screens, and the journey towards the dominant shift to online media. The exhibition coincides with the 60 year anniversary of the first television broadcast in New Zealand which took place from the gallery’s building on June 1st 1960. Originally built as purpose built radio studios in 1934 and later becoming television studios under TVNZ, Gus Fisher Gallery’s Grade I listed building and its iconic red and white radio mast, occupy a special place in New Zealand’s broadcasting history.

Originally home to Radio 1YA, who broadcasted throughout the Auckland region before being refitted for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s inaugural television programming, 74 Shortland Street was the centre of current events and entertainment since its construction. Studio 2, now repurposed as Gallery One of Gus Fisher Gallery, was a hive of activity every evening as the news bulletin was broadcast. By the time TVNZ relocated to their new Hobson Street Studios in the 1990s, they had shifted from a humble regional bulletin to broadcasting a steady cycle of global news in a carefully curated format, with anchors who had become household names.

To celebrate this milestone and our new identity as a centre for contemporary art, Reality is an Opinion is an exhibition that will include original archival material from TVNZ’ archives alongside work by pioneering contemporary artists to explore the role of television as a medium for reality.