Advanced DW Term 1 2026

  My favorite painting in the Ogee & Manaia is Untitled drawing (undulating body in the abyss).  he shapes looked like characters from Japanese exhibition, and at the same time, they also resembled shodo  (Japanese calligraphy). My classmates also said that it looked like Japanese characters, which made me feel an even stronger connection to the artwork. Also, I found the variations in the black tones especially beautiful. I think this is what I like most about abstract paintings. Even though the artist may not intend a specific meaning, viewers can interpret the shapes and forms in their own way.  At first, I questioned why the ground floor exhibition featured what appeared to be simple advertisements. Nevertheless, I found it particularly intriguing that items such as pamphlets can offer meaningful insights into the trends and cultural context of the time.

 Today, I saw a very interesting painting. It is an abstract art with white, black, and gray colors. It looks like a big maze. When I look at this painting, I see many shapes. Some look like machine parts, and others look like living things. Everything is connected. I can feel a "rhythm" and "energy" from it. I think this painting represents "connections in our world." Our lives are connected by many things, like the internet, work, and people. These complex lines show how we are all linked together. I also learned about "balance." There are many different shapes, but they work together perfectly. It shows me that finding balance is important, even in a busy and chaotic life.

  I liked "South City".  It uses a style similar to graffiti art, and I found it interesting how those elements were transformed into a portable painting. When I looked at the collection of books, archives, and ephemera, I realised that there are far more materials preserved around the world than I had imagined. At the same time, I felt that even though such a vast amount of material exists, it is not easy to use it effectively or preserve it well for future generations. As a way of making good use of these materials, I think it would be interesting to carry out research that focuses on the life of a single, relatively unknown person from the past,  such as an ordinary merchant, and try to reconstruct their life from the available sources.

  I like the picture called 'The Hub' the most. The reason why I like the picture most is that the house in the middle, just a little below the center, looks like a face and is so cute. When I look  the collection of books, archives and ephemera on the ground floor,  I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of history preserved there and the efforts made to preserve it. Sometimes there are some Japanese books, so it was interesting. If I could research a person, place or incident in the past, I want to research the history of famous pictures or paintings. This is because ｍ any old paintings only began to be appreciated after some time had passed, so I want to know how they were received when they were first painted and what sparked their rise in popularity.

    During my visit to the Hocken Collection,  I thought these paintings are really broadens my perspective on art.  Among the artworks, my favorite work was Razzle Dazzle. It is because, I was particularly drawn to its bold use of colors and dynamic composition. The contrast and movement in the painting made me feel a sense of energy and imagination. To me, it represents the coexistence of different identities and perspectives, which I found both powerful and meaningful. I like this artwork because it leaves room for interpretation and allows the viewer to feel something unique.  In addition to the exhibition, I also explored the collections on the first floor, including books, archives, and printed materials. I was impressed by how carefully these historical resources have been preserved. The atmosphere felt calm and intellectual, and it gave me a sense of connection to the past. It was interesting to see how much information is available for research and how ...

  Through visiting the gallery, I felt it was quite challenging to understand the meaning of the arts. What I was impressed with the most was named smoko, because this is the only one art that I could find some meaning in it. For me, this art gave me an impression of a vacuum. It seems to be sucking up all kinds of stuff around the world. I think this matches the name of the art. It’s vacuuming as if it’s smoking.   On the tour of collection, I’m surprised that there are so many collections, such as maps, newspaper, books, and magazines regarding New Zealand. They are all well organized so that easy to find. I was especially impressed that there was a blueprint of university of Otago. Although it was established in 1860s, the blueprint was kept there, which is amazing. Not only the university but also some house’s blueprints were there.   If I happen to have a chance to research something, I would like to know about architecture in Dunedin. There are so many histo...