The Icon 500 Wayne Youle The Physics Room 2 - 26 March 2005

Wayne Youle's enduring interest in cultural signs is manifest in The Icon 500 installation as a selection of silhouettes equipped with racing wheels, each an iconic symbol drawn from the work of a range of New Zealand artists that have influenced his practice.

In an oblique homage to these artists, Youle considers the impact they have had, or might have, on New Zealand's cultural landscape. The Gordon Walters's koru limo and a racing koru take pride of place on a plinth as stand-alone, special edition models. The deftly rendered forms embody Youle's signature slickness and an attention to detail that make them instantly recognisable to the art initiated.

In a bid to insert his work into this illustrious line-up, a giant swastika with wheels acts as a Youle icon. Youle's interest in this form stems from his experience as a late teen with a book called Well Made New Zealand by Richard Wolfe, where he found the name 'Kia Ora Tools' arching beautifully above a Swastika symbol.

Youle's initial association had been with the Swastika's dark use in modern times, and as the young artist began to investigate its ancient history, the symbol took on a less aggressive context. Consequently, this encounter spurred a number of works that respond to the appropriation of this form. Instead of using the swastika as a purely aesthetic form (as Walters' did with the koru) Youle explores the shifting meaning of the swastika form, which is an ancient symbol of peace. In doing so he highlights the impact that appropriation can have on cultural landscapes.

A steering wheel and rear vision mirror replete with plastic lei invites visitors to join the race, to keep watch on the works coming up on the inside lane. Visible in the rear-view is a series of badges, uniformly pinned to the wall, which represent another batch of influential New Zealand artists. Ideally these badges would be fastened to the breast of a pair of pit-stop overalls, by taking them out of the workshop context Youle transforms them into aesthetic objects.

There is a constant play in the works between appropriation and aestheticisation, and Youle's lustrous rendering offers up a suite of ideas and objects for the viewer to consider.

Youle is a Christchurch based artist. Since graduating from Wellington Polytechnic School of Design in 1999, he has been included in a number of public gallery exhibitions including the biennial survey show of contemporary New Zealand art 'Telecom Prospect 2004' at City Gallery, Wellington; 'Techno Maori' at City Gallery, Wellington and Pataka (2001-02); and 'Koru and Kowhaiwhai' at Pataka (2002).