NATURAL SEQUENCES | GROUP EXHIBITION
FEATURING MICHAEL MOORE, KAYE MCGARVA, BRUCE STILWELL, DI TOCKER AND PETER COLLIS
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Rhythms and patterns pulse through nature- some more readily and increasingly detectable; while others more quietly felt. From the seasonal shifts, to the changes that occur to landscapes over generations, or the mathematical patterns that underlie natural forms- nature arranges itself in patterns.
These 5 Contemporary New Zealand artists can be linked together for their exploration of Natural Sequences. Each bringing their own viewpoint and style to this theme, the result is a compelling body of work. Michael Moore explores the act of revisitation, what can be discovered through the act of returning to the same landscape throughout one's life? What new meanings can be derived and can this help us understand the long generational histories associated with a place. Kaye McGarva's paintings present us with icescapes seemingly from above, the rupturing of her imagery through torn compositions are a comment on arctic ice loss. Di Tocker's cast glass sculptures explore the semi-permanent flow of melting lead crystal and the relationship between the glass object and refractive light. Reminiscent of glaciers or crashing waves these pieces take their forms from the sublime majesty of natural rhythms. Bruce Stilwell's mathematical fibre works utilise natural silk fibres, like spinning his own web- his works come to comment on the re-occurring patterns that underpin our natural world such as the Fibonacci Sequence or Golden Ratios. Peter Collis leads the viewer to reflect on the layered meanings of clay. Collis' deconstructed bottles lead us to reflect on the long history of deriving clay from the earth and clay's relationship to civilization. |
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exhibition catalogue
Memory of Trees Series |
Wairarapa born Michael Moore grew up looking at the land and has never stopped. As an artist he is passionately connected to the New Zealand landscape and through his work he aims to express its unique effects. Michael Moore's recent works continue his ‘Memory of Trees’ series. In these works, Moore's captures vivid recollections of sites he has revisited throughout his life, marking their significance with monumental native trees. These paintings often continue over multiple canvases, Moore says, “the sequential series portray the continuation of the scenes as an ongoing story. Sometimes there is more to the story that can’t be captured on just one canvas.” In the work Towards Te Unu Unu, the artist draws inspiration from Te Wharau (a little valley east of Masterton). Moore takes the viewer beneath the canopy and protection of the ancient and sacred Karaka trees that grow along the coast. Looking out from the Karaka we gaze towards a distant point, known by Māori in this location as Te Unu Unu meaning a place from which to push off from. The artist spent the first four years of his life living in this landscape and it was here he saw the sea for the first time as a young boy, the place left a lasting impression and whenever he returns to this sacred grove he feels "a sense of great peace and enfoldment". The work Kohaihai Quadripartite depicts the West Coast end of the Heaphy track, just slightly north of Karamea. For the artist this too is a spiritual place that he revisits periodically, the repeating Tī Kōuka trees receding into the distance recall a sense of time and reflect the many generations that have called this whenua home. Michael Moore has exhibited nationally for almost 30 years, his paintings appear in private and public collections around the world. He was named the 2023 feature artist in the New Zealand Parliament collection, which culminated in a solo exhibition held at the Beehive. |
Michael Moore
Towards Te Unu Unu – Triptych Oil on canvas 1400 x 3000 mm (Overall 3 canvases) 2023 $31,000 Available |
Michael Moore
Kohaihai Quadripartite Oil on canvas 1525 x 3000 mm (Overall 4 canvases) 2023 $31,000 Available |
Michael Moore
Waimoana Ti Kouka No I Oil on canvas, White Frame 1005 x 1525 mm 2022 $12,750 Available |
Arctic Melt Series |
Hawke's Bay based artist Kaye McGarva's creates trompe-l’oeil paintings or illusion paintings, these large scale works play with shadows and folds with the intention of challenging the spectator’s perception. McGarva's work is about the act of looking, creating uncertainty and provoking a physical sensation associated with seeing something familiar but strange. She wishes to encourage the viewer to slow down, take notice, and hopefully look at the world around them with new eyes. McGarva's latest works can be described as icescapes, as a viewer we feel as if we are looking down on vast landscapes of ice with all its tundras, glaciers, mountains. Works such as Thaw and Frozen capture the immensity of the arctic, while the Triptych of paintings (Melt I, II, and III) have ruptured tears through the composition, showing a different decade of summer ice sea loss in the arctic- these torn paintings feel urgent. The artist embarked on this series of works in early 2023, but studio production was disrupted by the recent New Zealand weather events of Cyclone Gabrielle. Despite the challenge to complete the work amidst the difficulties of the aftermath of the event, McGarva felt it was imperative to push through in order to share these works and their associated messaging on climate change and the nature of weather events. Kaye McGarva exhibits her work in Brussels, London, and throughout New Zealand. She has been a finalist in the National Contemporary Art Awards, Parkin Drawing Prize, Wallace Art Awards, Molly Morpeth Canaday Award and Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award. |
Kaye McGarva
Melt I Acrylic on Canvas, White Aluminum Tray Frame 1690 x 1130mm 2023 $10,000 Available |
Kaye McGarva
Thaw Acrylic on Canvas, White Aluminum Tray Frame 1690 x 1130mm 2023 $10,000 HOLD |
Kaye McGarva
Frozen Acrylic on Canvas, White Aluminum Tray Frame 1690 x 1130mm 2023 SOLD |
Fluid Series |
Waikato based glass artist Di Tocker's Fluid sculptures explore the semi-permanent flow of melting lead crystal and the relationship between the glass object and refractive light. Reminiscent of glaciers or crashing waves the pieces take their inspiration from the sublime majesty of nature. Poised on a steel base, these works are given an elevated status. To create these impressive pieces the artist embarks on the long and technical process of lost wax casting. This involving heavy plaster moulds, high temperature kilns, diamond polishing equipment and working with capricious materials. The sheer number of carefully executed steps required to make each piece makes the improbably beautiful sculptures even more astonishing. A consummate craftsperson, Tocker's attention to detail is evident throughout her process and reflects in the finishing of the object. Tocker balances her 20 years of studio practice knowledge with an intuition and keen sense of curiosity about “what next” in her work. In a process where no two works are ever the same, Tocker tests and experiments, finding inspiration in the forms and atmospheres of nature: chaos and control, flow and rupture, light and colour. |
Di Tocker
Submerge- Purple Fall Cast Glass and Stainless Steel Cradle H 285 x W 450 x D 90mm $10,760 Available |
Di Tocker
Submerge - Glacial Mix II Cast Glass and Stainless Steel Cradle H 245 x W290 x D90mm $5,500 Available |
Halo Series |
Mixed Media artist Bruce Stilwell produces technically meticulous fibre works with velvet and natural silk threads. Through his work, Stilwell explores the mathematical beauty that underpins the structure of our visual world. Stilwell's works showcase the beauty that can come from a methodical and precise hand. To create a work, Stilwell embarks on the painstaking process of connecting points with thread, using the principles of concentric circles, parabolic curves and ellipses. The results transcend their geometric fundamentals becoming compelling images that invite closer inspection. The choice of thread colour against the base board creates a sense of illumination across the forms. The shapes seem to hover and shine within their frame, giving them a luminescent presence. Bruce Stilwell was born in the small town of Otematata. He draws on a background as a carpenter and joiner, which no doubt provided him with a solid foundation in construction and design. He came to Fine Art later in life but found quick success with his unique style. Stilwell has been awarded a category prize at the Changing Threads Contemporary Fibre Art Awards, the Brendan Foot Signature Award at the New Zealand Art Show and the Aspiring Art Prize Award. He exhibits his work in select galleries around New Zealand. |
Bruce Stilwell
Halo- Gold Pinned Fibres on Velvet Board, Framed 1150mm Diameter 2023 SOLD |
Bruce Stilwell
Halo- Silver Pinned Fibres on Velvet Board, Framed 1150mm Diameter 2023 SOLD |
Bruce Stilwell
Halo- Bronze Pinned Fibres on Velvet Board, Framed 1150mm Diameter 2023 $6500 Available |
Skeleton Bottles |
Peter Collis has worked with clay nearly all of his life. The main focus of his work is the exploration of shape and surface. He favours pure form vessels, which he treats in a wide range of methods- crackle glazes, textured slips and rich colours. Each treatment calls for a different process and set of skills; his fluency in such a range of techniques is a credit to his over 40 years at the pottery wheel. Collis's Skeletal Bottle series presents us with deconstructed bottle forms made up of layers of hand thrown and stacked clay discs. The technique itself requires advanced handling of clay, and the final result leads the viewer to look at the bottle form (an ancient form) with renewed interest. These pieces recall the generations of craftspeople who have built on one- another's techniques to further the ceramic medium. The forms stack upward from ground level, recalling the fact that of course the raw material of clay comes from the ground, usually in areas where streams or rivers once flowed. It is made from minerals, plant life, and animals, and with this material we can build upwards. "I love the magical transformation that I can bring about from raw clay to sophisticated object. The ability to physically change something to that degree, with clay, glaze and fire."- Peter Collis |
Peter Collis
Skeleton Bottle Hand Thrown and Built Ceramic, Steel Base 710 H x 220mm W 2022 $6000 Available |
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Peter Collis Skeleton Bottle Hand Thrown and Built Ceramic, Steel Base 710 H x 220mm W 2022 $6000 Available |