The Oshima Gang comprises a series of photographs of sites in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland featured in Nagisa Oshima’s film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), including King's College, the Domain Wintergardens, Mount Eden Prison and the historic Auckland Railway Station.
Macdonald reflects upon Auckland's urban landscape and identity while raising some related questions: "Oshima, and his cast and crew, did not set out to describe Auckland, yet they did so nonetheless: the irrelevance of Auckland makes the film a compelling portrait of this city. [...] How did Oshima look at the city I live in, and how did the city look back at him? Can Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence be considered a “landscape theory” film, if only for New Zealand viewers?"
Free
Dates
9 February — 13 April
Parnell Station 25 Cheshire Street Parnell 1052 Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
