Facade, F.J. Denton Photography Studio, 128 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui 1980. Images by Richard Wotton from the book A Selective Eye, Richard Wotton.
Wotton’s career and works are explored in the book’s introduction by his long-time friend, photography critic and former Whanganui resident Peter Ireland.
An essay by the Sarjeant Gallery’s first Māori curator, Dr Rangihiroa Panoho, is also included.
It is Wotton’s fourth book but the first to compile his five decades of art, and the first he has published himself.
Wotton was relieved to be wrapping up the publication process, which took two years and “a hell of a lot of wasted time”.
“Now that I’m 80 years old, I don’t deal with problems all that well. Anything that’s a hassle tends to stop me in my tracks.”
While he had worked as a typesetter at the Whanganui Chronicle, Wotton never printed anything, he said.
For artists hoping to publish their first book, Wotton recommended they “get some expert help, with someone who knows what they’re doing”.
After avoiding much-needed technical support, Wotton eventually contacted local photographer Brendon Kitto, who helped finish the book’s digital design.
“I knew how I wanted it to look, but I had a problem trying to visualise it actually being finished.”
A last-minute hiccup with book-binding threw a spanner in the works, he said.
“It’s in the lap of the gods at the moment.”
Wotton was the Sarjeant Gallery’s staff photographer for 31 years, documenting countless works of art, exhibitions and gallery life.
He has been retired for eight years.
Davey and Jim McMillan, Wanganui Bottle Exchange, 45 Taupo Quay, Wanganui, 1979. Images by Richard Wotton from the book A Selective Eye, Richard Wotton.
Art critic Mark Amery said in a review this month, “Wotton focuses on the spaces workers inhabit: the smoko and tea rooms, fish and chip shops and backstages.
“He gives mana to the in-between spaces Whanganui remains full of. He makes them monuments to the quirks of the human spirit.“
Wotton saw the influential The Active Eye exhibition when it came to Whanganui in 1975, and belongs to the generation of Kiwi photographers inspired by it and its impact on photography as a serious artistic practice in Aotearoa.
“His calm, contemplative vision favours careful observation over spectacle, revealing the enduring beauty found in everyday environments,” the Sarjeant Gallery said.
“Drawn to modest houses, shops and commercial buildings of the 1930s-50s, Wotton’s photographs record their previous forms before development and earthquake strengthening.”
While another book isn’t out of the picture for Wotton, he wouldn’t be “doing all the work”.
“I don’t have a lot of zip and energy these days.”
The Sarjeant Gallery said it was proud of its “very long relationship” with Wotton.
It will host a free public artist talk and book launch with Wotton on August 2.
Hardcover copies of A Selective Eye: Richard Wotton can be bought exclusively at the Sarjeant Gallery gift shop or on its website for $140.
“I hope they get a lot of pleasure out of looking at it and reading the text,” Wotton said.
“A sense of what’s been lost, in some cases, and also a sense of the value of recording things, because nothing is forever.”
Noam Mānuka Lazarus (Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara) is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.