Press Release

The title for James Cousins’ new exhibition refers to the Graphtec cutters setting, step size 0, the optimum level of precision available, which regulates levels of accuracy during the cutting of the long arcs and curves in the vinyl stencils that Cousins uses in the making of his works. The demands of these large new works pressurise this precision to a point where unregulated incidentals, slips, rumbles, blips and bleeds seep into the complexly patterned orthodoxy of the cut stencils. This ethos of suggestion and retraction is also echoed through the orchestrated patterns of wide bands, derived from a dual tracking of movement of an airbrush across and around the supporting canvas, evident in the underpainting that layer the canvasses.

The artist would like to acknowledge support from the University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts PBRF Fund.

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About the Artist

James Cousins was born in Christchurch in 1965. In 1989 he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ilam, Canterbury School of Fine Arts. He graduated with a Diploma of Teaching from the Christchurch College of Education in 1998 and a Master of Fine Arts in 2004 from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. In 2000 James Cousins was the recipient of the Christchurch-based Olivia Spencer Bower Award Fellowship and the works created during his residency are now part of the Christchurch City Art Gallery collection. Cousins has since been selected for inclusion in numerous award exhibitions including: The Wallace Art Awards (2005), Waikato National Art Awards (2002) and the Visa Gold Awards (1996, 1998). In 2004 Cousins was selected for inclusion in Code NZ at Canvas International in the Netherlands, which resulted in participation in the 2005 Rotterdam Art Fair. During 2007 Cousins was included in the contemporary painting exhibition: PX: A Purposeless Production/A Necessary Praxis (St Paul Street Gallery, Auckland) curated by Leonhard Emmerling. Cousins currently holds a position as lecturer at Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland.

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About the Gallery

Gow Langsford is a commercial art space committed to fostering and promoting the best contemporary art from New Zealand and abroad. Located directly opposite the Auckland Art Gallery, Gow Langsford Gallery represents over thirty established New Zealand and international artists. Gow Langsford is one of the country’s most established galleries and is widely regarded as its most influential dealer gallery. Alongside a regular and varied exhibition schedule, Gow Langsford is a market leader in works on the secondary market.

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28-36 Wellesley Street East
Auckland
New Zealand
Opening Hours
Monday – Friday, 10 am–5 pm
Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday
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Auckland 28-36 Wellesley Street East
Gow Langsford Gallery
28-36 Wellesley Street East, Auckland, New Zealand

Opening hours
Monday – Friday, 10 am–5 pm
Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday
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