a gallery presents

Hutchinson’s latest series of hand-stitched textile works marks a departure from the found objects that have traditionally informed his practice, while continuing his exploration of our disposable, throwaway culture.

While cleaning up after his daughter’s birthday party earlier this year, Hutchinson became fascinated by the remnants of celebration left behind once the party was over. For “After the Party” he chose to embroider three novelty balloons purchased from a nearby convenience store, meticulously reproducing each one in digitally printed and hand-stitched textile.

Presented in distorted, deflated forms within white box frames, the balloons become quiet remnants of a moment that has already passed. The series is accompanied by a hand-stitched textile replica of a generic Panadol box, crumpled and resting on a floating shelf — another small, discarded object left behind after the party.

Through these seemingly insignificant remnants, After the Party reflects on the fleeting nature of celebration and the cycles of consumption that surround it. The works transform objects intended to be temporary and disposable into carefully constructed, enduring forms, inviting us to reconsider the value and significance we assign to the things we so readily throw away.

There was a broken toilet cubicle in the men bathroom at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Something you usually wouldn’t notice. But as I work at the gallery I noticed it was closed for over six months. I watched for months as the hand written sign on the door slowly eroded over time, small rips became tears. The temporary cello tape pulling away from the surface. The text slowly fragmented as parts of the words pulled away from one another.

I decided it would be interesting to hand stitch a copy of sign in its decayed form and swap it out. Fantasising of a formal event occurring in the space, a string quartet in the corner in front of the urinals, well dressed waiters passing out glasses of champagne and plates of oeuvres. Alas upon finishing the work the cubicle had been repaired, no longer in need of a sign. So I made a textile copy of the door. Stretching similar coloured cotton drill around a frame, aluminium edging and a lock sourced from a demolition yard.

The work was included included in the exhibition/fundraiser, ‘Support your local’ that ran for one week at the Blue Oyster Art Project Space 2/4/26

The exhibition included works donated by Nick Austin, Jessica Covell, Scott Eady, Heramaahina Eketone, Peter Hawkesby, Priscilla Rose Howe, Reece King, Saskia Leek, Jess Nicholson, Aroha Novak, and Kate Stevens West.

All works were sold via silent auction with the final sale price being split between the Artist and Blue Oyster.

Meet me in the bathroom
2025
1800mm x 600mm
Hand-embroidery on cotton drill, clear tape, aluminium framing, steel lock

Photo of work in the gallery by Justin Spiers

Made a couple of pieces for a project that keeps being shifted back…thought I would post them here as I hadn’t posted anything in a while…

Hutch and A Gallery Presents a Filth_4U  and General Editions publication launch of  “The Graffiti Village Omnibus” a limited edition publication along side a deluxe edition project, featuring an original art work by Joel Rickerby and Jay Hutchinson at Hutch Gallery, 21 Moray place, Dunedin. Saturday 15th November 2025 2pm till 5pm with guest DJs

Graffiti Village was Aotearoa’s first independent graffiti publication. In the mid 1990s an artist known as Scream decided to self produce a small folded A4 page that featured photographs of graffiti that he had either taken himself or collected from other artists. These photos were either given to him by hand or printed, put in an envelope and posted through the mail as the publication predated the popular use of email. The photos were arranged on both sides of a single sheet of paper and cello-taped down with names of the contributing artists scribbled in the limited space around them. The page  was then photocopied on someone’s mums work copier…less than 100 copies of the first issue were ever made making them incredibly rare. Over the course of its lifetime the publication grew to an 8 page zine (using two folded A4 pages staples together) a total of five issues were produced before 2000.

Very few copies remain of the publication, and only one known complete set. The copies reproduced here are from the personal archive of Joel Rickerby and avid collector of sub cultural paraphernalia who in discussion with Scream have decided to release all five issues reprinted and bound together as a The Graffiti Village Omnibus produced by General Editions. 

In addition to the Graffiti Village Omnibus, a deluxe edition has also been created with a gallery presents and  Filth_4U, a limited edition of 10 works in collaborative project between artists Jay Hutchinson and Joel Rickerby. Hutchinson produced a series a hand stitched tags on cotton drill with designs lifted from the pages of Graffiti Village. These have then been framed in hand painted frames by Joel Rickerby. Each work is then presented in an archival box also containing detailed facsimiles of the original copies as well as a copy of the Graffiti Village omnibus all produced by General Editions Studio.

 …while multidisciplinary artist Jay Hutchinson demonstrates that — if we’re truly looking — art and beauty can be found in even the most mundane surroundings. After collecting discarded food wrappers and pavement rubbish, Hutchinson photographs and studies them with the care and interest of a palaeontologist uncovering a fossil, before recreating them as striking textile art. Using cotton drill to simulate crinkled paper bags, crumpled milkshake cups and empty matchboxes, he embroiders labels and slogans, with incredible attention to detail and a level of intricacy in the thousands of tiny stitches that elevates each piece to an artistic treasure.

This Exhibition brings together a recent sculptural work ‘Eight Steps to perfection’ that first exhibited 2020 at Ramp gallery and more recently in the exhibition, ‘Never Be Seen’ at Aratoi Museum 2024. This two piece sculptural work is shown along a series of nine new works titled, ‘Tales from outside the Dairy’, these works are based on objects found on footpaths, carparks in and around connivence stores, two fours, Fish and Chip Shops and local Dairy’s. These discarded objects are photographed, digitally printed on fabric, hand stitched then crumpled and stitched into frames. Whereas recent projects have followed a psychogeographical model, exploring a particular physical environment, this project pulls objects from archives of objects (trash and litter) that I literally collect, archive and store in a methodological system based on those used by museums…

The exhibition ‘Second Chance’ opening at 2pm on the 5th of April as part of ID Fashion Week in Dunedin. The exhibition brings together three Dunedin artists that work with material, ideas and concepts around waste, particularly textile waste.

Meg Gallagher uses off cuts leftover from clothing production runs that would normally be destined for landfills, stitching these pieces together into canvases Gallagher then applies a mixture of natural pigments, dye and bleach creating beautiful landscapes. 

 Victoria McIntosh stitches together  contemporary jewellery, sculpture and assemblage. A collector by nature, she is drawn to found objects that she discovers in a variety of second-hand shops, used fabric and cast away object that for McIntosh carry a sense of history, whether real or imagined.

 Jay Hutchinson makes textile copies  discarded objects that he finds on his daily commute. Through a process of photographing the object and printing it onto scrap fabric, each piece hand stitched where Hutchinson invests hundreds of hours into the forgotten and thrown away, making the unseen seen.  

New gallery space opening early May 2025. Originally was going to be under the “a gallery presents” umbrella. As the concept evolved the space shifted becoming a new and exciting project as a collaboration with my wife Julia. Julia will co-direct with me and manage the day to day operations. Julia comes from an industrial design background with a passion for contemporary art with years of experience in high end retail. We are currently working together to physically bring the leased space at 21 moray place Dunedin, previously used as a music venue, up to the highest standard possible. We have an exciting list of artists that we look forward to working with, and introducing to Dunedin. New website hutchgallery.co.nz coming soon

“Hutch” gallery is an upcoming contemporary art space set to open on Moray Place in Ōtepoti, Aotearoa. The gallery will showcase and represent a wide range of artists from across the country… watch this space