Sue Cooke

A Delicate Balance

2022

Cooke has worked with both the macro and micro elements of the land throughout her 37 year artistic career.

This exhibition aims to celebrate the life and beauty of the indigenous forests of Aotearoa whilst addressing concepts of necessary protection, sustainability and regeneration; depicting primarily Beech, Rimu, Kamahi, Ferns and Flax. A deliberate attempt has been made to create visual complexity within some images to emulate the typical busyness seen between branches and twigs, and visual simplicity to allow the viewer to imagine their own forest experience.

Cooke’s philosophy of image making is firmly rooted in the handmade. All plates and prints are handmade and printed on a hand driven etching press made in 1983.

Siene de Vries

“The Garden Revisited”

2022

Life and death, growth and decay and the inability of mankind to make lasting progress have been recurring themes in my work, although not always apparent at first sight. They are a remnant of meaningful symbolism in classical painting and as such, part of the influence of a Dutch heritage.

Quite often the significance of these symbols or objects have been lost or we are uncertain of their meaning. We now tend to think of them as simply paintable, beautiful subjects, although old-hat, in some people’s view. At the same time we remain unconsciously aware of their relevance.

This exhibition harks back to a show I did some years ago in

Auckland titled “Gates to the Garden”

Kiya Murman

Birds

2022

Birds are marvellous in themselves and as metaphors of beauty, joy and freedom. I found a sense of wide open space also gives a sense of freedom and infinite possibility. The third formal element I’m working with here is surface. My surfaces are inspired by sand left by waves on the beach, weathered stone and aged wood, and have required multiple layers of colour and pattern scratched and sponged back to leave traces of the history below. Hence, I am trying to convey something of a sense of a found object and serendipity – passing moments precious because they can never be repeated.