Exhibition Two, Season Three: 9 September – 4 October
Artist: Varun Garg
Untitled, September 2024
2024
Digital prints (performance documentation)
I am a third-year Fine Arts student at Whitecliffe College, where my artistic practice is developing rapidly. My work explores the interplay between architectural space, physical force, and the fleeting nature of performance art, with a particular focus on the relationships between time, body, and space. I am especially interested in themes of change and impermanence, highlighting the delicate balance between stability and flux as I continue to explore new ways of engaging with these elements.
The performance documentation installed at Nikau Superette showcases Untitled, September 2024. In this piece, rubbish bags filled with air are placed under a large wall. As the bags deflate under the wall’s weight, the structure collapses, and I replace the deflated bags with new ones, creating a cycle that emphasises impermanence and constant change. While these materials and actions are specific to my practice, they also resonate with the situation of the Whau Estuary (near New Lynn
Just as the bags give way under pressure and are replaced, the Whau Estuary is continuously affected by forces such as pollution, sedimentation, and habitat loss. Both the estuary and my work exist in a state of flux — a fragile balance between collapse and renewal. The cycle in my performative artwork mirrors the estuary’s ongoing process of adaptation and change, capturing its delicate yet resilient nature as it responds to ever-changing conditions
