Glen Hayward is a thrifty kind of guy, making good use of the things that he finds. Taking everyday objects as his source material, he applies his exacting eye-fordetail and woodworking and painting skills to create replicas that, on first glance, appear as the real deal. He has all the hallmarks of a traditional craftsman; what he can do with a piece of salvaged timber and scavenged paint is nothing short of extraordinary, and commendable for its repurposing of what might otherwise go to landfill.
Glen Hayward: Wish You Were Here at City Gallery Wellington is a survey of Hayward's practice that includes an assortment of works made between 20042022 (although the wall text cites the 'last decade' as the focal point). It is the first time such a collection of Hayward's works has been brought together and, as such, provides an opportunity to reflect on recurring themes in Hayward's practice, and how they might relate to this particular moment in time.
Visitors are greeted by a peculiar assortment of his signature carved-and-painted wooden doppelgängers. A giant pottery shard harks back to one of Hayward's previous appearances on the Wellington waterfront: his Wellington Sculpture Trust Four Plinths Project commission Rita Angus Used to Grow Her Own
(2012). This shard is one of four based on pieces Hayward found stored in a jar during his Rita Angus cottage residency in 2012. Separated from its sisters, it feels will be a set of ship-building nails wrought large. Installed in a corner behind the shard, a large collection of his life-size nails acts as a teaser.
