WHILE THE ANXIOUS AND PERHAPS INCREASINGLY WAR RANTED FEARS OF WITNESSING A FULLY REALISED APOCALYPSE IN OUR AGE INFILTRATES OUR DREAMSCAPES, THE CREATIVE LUMINARIES OF OUR GENERARTION EXPLORE THOS QUESTIONABLE EVENTUALITY THROUGH LITERATURE, FASHION, FILM AND VISUAL ART. "APOCALYPSE" TRANSLATES FROM GREEK AS "THE LIFTING OF THE VEIL OF SECRETS HIDDEN FROM THE MAJORITY OF HUMANKIND," AND IS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO RELIGION, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE BIBLICAL COSMIC CATACLYSM FORESEEN IN REVELATION, THE ANNIHILATION OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. - HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE..NEW CONTEMPORARY ART VOL.19
The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.
Jane Zusters was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1951. In 1973 she finished a BA in English and was working as a teacher at Navua High School in Fiji, when she decided to be an artist instead. She has spent her adult life painting and taking photographs. She studied at the Canterbury University School of Fine Arts for two years and in 1975, while still a second year painting student, exhibited her photographs in the "Six Women Artists" show curated by Allie Eagle at the McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch, NZ. In 1978 she was awarded a major Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant and moved to Auckland. In 2003 Jane completed an MFA (First Class Honours) in photography at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design.
Highlights for Jane have been winning first prize in the Montana Art Award 1984, another Arts Council Grant in 1986, winning first prize in the Tokoroa Art Award in 1988 and being a joint winner of the Lilian Ida Smith Award in 1994. Important experiences for Jane have been visiting Italy in 1984 and again in 1988, being the Rita Angus Art Trust artist in residence in 1991, and visiting Berlin on a Goethe Institute Scholarship in 1992. In 1986 she had a studio home built on Waiheke Island and she has done much voyaging from there since. In 1999-2000 she lived in London for 10 months. At present she is living in Christchurch.
Jane Zusters is an experienced art tutor who has facilitated numerous painting workshops, including classes at Artstation, Auckland University Extension Studies, E.I.T. Taradale Hawkes Bay and Wanganui Polytechnic. She was a guest artist in residence at Canterbury University in 1995. In 2004 she was the William Hodges Fellow in Southland.
Jane Zusters is a painter and photographer who has recently moved into the areas of installation and DVD. In 2001 her art practice underwent a fundamental change when she was invited by Miranda Playfair to be part of Xerart, artists explore digital technology at the ASA gallery in Auckland. The ensuring exhibition 'Stratum' comprised work by Billy Apple, Carole Shepheard, Martin Ball, Harvey Benge, Stephen Lovett, Miranda Playfair (working as Girlie Pics) and Jane Zusters. Her show at Te tuhi - the mark in 2004 comprised found objects, painting and DVD. In 2004 she was the William Hodges fellow in Southland. Zusters most recent exhibition was at Pataka in 2005 and used the device of creating a 70s lounge to look at albums of photographs shown in conjunction with a continuously looped 20 min DVD.
