Kiwi Artist’s Life Celebrated in New Book and Exhibition

A Micronaut in the Wide World: The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy by Gregory O’Brien

Kiwi artist and book illustrator Graham Percy is celebrated in a new book on his life and work, which was launched last week in Wellington in conjunction with the opening of a touring exhibition of his work.

Described by children’s book expert and winner of the 2011 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal Kate de Goldi as “a little gem” and “inspirational”, A Micronaut in the Wide World: The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy is written by Gregory O’Brien and is published by Auckland University Press.

“In Micronaut, we have one of New Zealand’s great cultural talents – Greg O’Brien – introduce us to another great talent – Graham Percy,” AUP Editor Anna Hodge said at the launch.
“Auckland University Press is thrilled to be a part of a great show, to publish a great book, and to work with some great New Zealanders.”

Artist, designer and illustrator Graham Percy travelled far and built a career on the closely observed detail. Born in Taranaki in 1938, Percy spent his apprentice years in Auckland before moving to London, where with his photographer–partner Mari Mahr he created a workshop–home, a microcosm of the outside world.

In A Micronaut in the Wide World, fellow–venturer Gregory O’Brien presents an account of Graham Percy’s life and art, by way of motorbike and hot-air balloon, through sketches and bookshelves, touching on childhood losses and adult nostalgia.

Including some of Percy’s most compelling drawings, A Micronaut in the Wide World showcases Percy’s early design work, vivid children’s book illustration and thriving mature art. The drawings reveal his passion for the small and hand-drawn; convey quirky remembered and imagined histories; and feature a cast of curious characters, from storks and trainee running targets to Commedia dell’Arte characters and illustrious composers.

In its vivid, exuberant detail — alphabets and elephants, red lettuces and homesick kiwi, the Hungarian navy and the starry skies of the southern hemisphere — A Micronaut in the Wide World is a stimulating rediscovery of a remarkable artist.

I found the book totally fascinating. Everyone with a love of children's books should own it.
A truly marvellous piece of publishing -  from the beautiful end papers and French folds to the superb design and spectacular photographs and artwork, all combined with Gregory O'Brien's scholarship and accessible style make this is a very special and remarkable book.

About the Author, Gregory O’Brien

Gregory O’Brien was born in Matamata in 1961. As a poet, anthologist, essayist and art critic, he has published widely in New Zealand, Australia and England. Between 1997 and 2009 he worked at City Gallery Wellington, curating major exhibitions by artists including Ralph Hotere, John Drawbridge, Rosalie Gascoigne and Laurence Aberhart. His recent publications include News of the Swimmer Reaches Shore (2007), the awardwinning Back and Beyond: New Zealand Art for the Young and Curious (2008) and Euan Macleod: The Painter in the Painting (2010). A collaborative book project with photographer Mari Mahr, Two Walk in Edinburgh, is forthcoming in 2011.

About the Artist, Graham Percy

Graham Percy was an artist and illustrator, designer and typographer. Born in Stratford, Taranaki, in 1938, he grew up there and in Auckland. After studying at the Elam School of Fine Arts and working as a designer/illustrator for the School Journal, Percy was offered a scholarship from the Royal College of Art and moved to London to study in 1964. On graduation, he worked as a graphic designer and freelance artist, eventually specialising in children’s book illustration. By the end of his career, he had over 100 books to his credit, including editions of The Wind in the Willows, the Arabian Nights and Aesop’s Fables. He also published two books of drawings, Arthouse with Chronicle Books in 1994 and Imagined Histories in 2007. Graham Percy died early in 2008.

About the Exhibition “The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy”

“The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy” (City Gallery, Wellington, 4 February–25 April 2010) is curated by Micronaut author Gregory O’Brien. It draws on the vast body of charming drawings and illustrations Percy left behind at his death, many previously unknown, and brings his original artworks to a New Zealand audience for the first time.

“Though he was based in London for most of his life, Percy remained connected to this country and in his work looks back to New Zealand from both an insider’s and outsider’s perspective,” notes the City Gallery’s exhibition release.

“The kiwi is a common character in Percy’s work. A series of drawings which forms the core of this exhibition show anthropomorphised kiwis making their way around the world—in Venice in a gondola, dressed in Russian garb and two Parisian kiwis examining a carved stone kiwi on a gothic building.”

Exhibition Tour

After the “The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy” exhibition concludes at Wellington on 25 April 2011, it will tour New Zealand in 2011/2012. Proposed key venues include:

2011
7 May–July 2011, Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland
Mid 2011 Tauranga Art Gallery, Tauranga
19 Nov–5 Feb 2012 Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui tbc

2012
Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford, Taranaki
Ashburton Art Gallery, Ashburton
Rotorua Museum and Art Gallery, Rotorua
Aratoi, Masterton
Millennium Gallery, Blenheim