Judy Darragh - So...You Made It? (Paperback)

Judy Darragh emerged as an artist in the late 1980s. Renowned for embracing low-art and kitsch in her witty and lurid sculptures, she quickly established a reputation as the 'Queen of Kitsch'. Darragh has long since abdicated that tacky throne and, over the past eighteen years, has worked widely using video, photography, collage, installation and stage-production, synthetic, industrial and found materials. She continues to engage vigorously with issues of sex, politics and good taste with wit, pith and humour, and her artworks continue to charm, baffle and amuse all kinds of New Zealanders. Produced in association with the Te Papa exhibition of the same name, Judy Darragh: So...You Made It? is the first retrospective of Darragh's work and her first major project in a public gallery - as well as a first for Te Papa; a unique and collaborative 'artist's project' which explores Darragh's current practice alongside her past works. Here in over 100 full-colour plates and illustrations is a wealth of fresh and familiar Judy Darragh artwork, ranging from the high tack and plastic fantastic of the 'Queen of Kitsch' era to her provocative Wild things series using correction fluid and cheap poster art, to a brand new suite of sculptural works that will challenge even the highest expectations of the usd2 shop. With a major essay from curator Natasha Conland, essays and interpretation from Chris Kraus, Tessa Laird and Jon Bywater and an in-depth artist's interview by Gwynneth Porter, Judy Darragh: So...You Made It? is a timely new opportunity to engage with this always-relevant New Zealand artist and her ongoing assault on the everyday objects that surround us.