After a 30-year break pioneer New Zealand post-object artist Gray Nicol returns to live performance in a once-only event at the Film Archive.

On Thursday June 12 at 7pm Nicol will present a collection of his video work and re-stage, for the first time in 30 years, his performance work Duck Calling.

Coaxed out of retirement by Exhibitions Manager Mark Williams and the Adam Art Gallery, Nicol has agreed to re-present this absurd and humorous performance. Featuring a shotgun, ducks and Nicol as narrator, the work was first performed in Australia at the 1978 Mildura Sculpture Triennial. Writing in Tthe Sydney Morning Herald Nancy Borlaise said “(New Zealander’s were) the most politicised artists in general at the Triennial... (Nicol’s) method of demonstrating the inherent brutality of using guns and decoys to massacre the pathetic little quackers also permitted his bandaged wrapped imagery to appear equally menacing to humans as well as ducks”.

The film of Duck Calling screened in New York last year as part of a collection of video works by fellow video and performance artists of the 1970s. For this encore performance Nicol has gone through his records to find the original narration of the piece and a 30 year old audio cassette that provided the soundtrack.

The evening will also feature a collection of Nicol’s video work which uses a range of unconventional film techniques to corrupt the 4th wall of the television screen that separates artwork and viewer.

Not to be missed!