SHE'S TALKING TO THE WALL

SHE’S TALKING TO THE WALL is a site responsive installation by Aotearoa New Zealand artist Kate Newby. The artwork was first shown in Newby’s solo exhibition YES TOMORROW at the Adam Art Gallery in 2021.

The large-scale installation comprises nearly 1,000 chimes made between 2012 and 2021. Hung in a roughly chronological order, the chimes demonstrate Newby’s learning and experimentation with clay and glass – key materials in her practice – and explore how natural materials transform when shaped and fired.

Ends broken off by the wind. Imprints from fingers, nails, stones. Particles of sand preserved by glazing. These unexpected textures act as reminders of the many places the chimes were made – from remote Fogo Island in Canada to New York City and Te Henga in Aotearoa. They bring the outside world into the gallery.

SHE’S TALKING TO THE WALL is a complicated map of locations, experiences, and relationships – hundreds of small gestures, creating something larger than themselves.

Row 1: New York City (2012); Fogo Island (2012–13); Auckland (2013)

Row 2: New York City (2014); Bristol (2014); Melbourne (2015)

Row 3: New York City (2015); San Antonio (2017); Toronto (2016); Marfa (2017); Portland (2018)

Row 4: Portland (2019); New York City (2019)

Row 5: New York City (2020); Utah (2020); New York (2020); Te Henga (2020)

Row 6: Te Henga (2021); Wellington (2021)

Row 7: Wellington (2021)