CURRENT GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
Calmly situated in a world both abstract and representational, this new body of photographs by Kristin Hatland fluently moves through the familiar and its more surreal inversions. A pair of ice skates sit at rest with their laces cast behind as if animated in full flight. A record of that flight is captured in a roughened patch of ice. Two wiry trees sit on a moody landscape evoking notions of mind and memory drawn from the artist’s Norse heritage. An oncoming wave confronts the viewer in counterpoint to a rocky snow-topped mountain inviting you on.
In each image, we witness the poetics of impermanence as one state moves towards another. Patterns etched in ice are there for but a moment. Sand shaped by the waves tells a story and then washes away to speak a new tale. Like the various shapes of water, Hatland’s images speak of the fluid quality to our capacities for memory and imagination.
Kristin Hatland is a Norwegian-born artist based in Clevedon (Auckland) working with the photographic medium. Equally at home both the digital and analogue realms, Hatland’s practice is philosophically driven and eclectic in its embrace of representational and abstract imagery. Hatland holds a Bachelor of Arts from NorthTec Tai Tokerau Wānanga. Her work has featured in exhibitions in Aotearoa including Metapherein at the Shutter Room (Whangarei, 2015) and as a finalist of the Wallace Art Awards (2012).
Metamorphōsis is a collection of paintings that explore the confusion, discomfort and uncertainty that often comes with growing up.
Her figures peel at their skin, their spines sprout wings, or they slowly emerge from unravelling cocoons, all shedding layers that reveal something entirely new has grown beneath the surface. In each of them, a metamorphosis has taken place. The unwitting characters in Ovid’s Metamorphosis experience dramatic transformations into plants, animals and other half-human creatures as a way of being given new life. In much the same way, Ruijne uses her art to visualise the invisible metamorphosis she and her friends have been undergoing.
Despite their often fantastical imagery, her expressive artworks are grounded by a sense of relatability. There is a permeable tension between the fear of and hope for change, of the discomfort in the familiar and the allure of the unfamiliar. Distress and hesitancy battle to overcome the yearning for something more that shines through the overarching turmoil. It is this feeling of pressure, of push and pull, that deeply marks the transitory period into adulthood. Metamorphōsis reminds all of us that change is inevitable, regardless of how hard we fight it.
Estelle Ruijne is an artist and poet who explores the transformative and fluid nature of the human experience. Currently a student at Howick College, she plans to pursue a Bachelor of Visual Art double majoring in Painting, Printmaking and Drawing, and Communication Design at AUT after completing her secondary studies. Estelle is committed to adapting and evolving these concepts through further exhibitions.
Metamorphōsis is her debut exhibition.
Click here to read the poetry accompaniment written by Estelle Ruijne.
Interested in learning more about the artist? Check out this special event below!
About The Wall
The Wall is our exhibition space dedicated to help give a leg up to emerging local artists still in high school or tertiary education by allowing them to go through the process of exhibition making without the stress and pressure that comes with the scale of the Malcolm Smith Gallery. The Wall also allows young artists more exposure than a traditional gallery space by being in the concourse area amongst all the action.
Join us in the Gallery Café for a casual yet informative conversation over tea and coffee with exhibiting artist Eve Boermans and centre director Paul Brobbel.
Eve and Paul will lead a conversation for artists and art lovers looking at the themes explored in the exhibition Threads alongside insights into Eve’s wider practice.
Wednesday 1 May, 2 – 3pm, Gallery Café
Bookings essential: $10 for coffee/tea/scone and conversation.
Threads
Threads is an exploration of metaphorical threads in time – observing memories and recognising the subsequent evocations from these moments; emotions, sounds, smells, light. Small, unfinished paintings are positioned carefully on Uxbridge’s concourse wall and connected by material threads. Although unfinished, these paintings feel more human, more natural, more intriguing. Each canvas piques the viewer’s interest, containing different subject matter from piece to piece. Locating the work in a transitional space enhances the potential for interpretation. The viewer can imagine their own conclusions for each piece, whether it be material or emotional.
Threads is an invitation, an offering to the viewer, for connection, for recollection, for feeling.
About the artist
Eve Boermans is an East Auckland-based artist and student at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. Working in a variety of disciplines including dramatic and literary arts, her artistic work is currently focused on painting and installation. Boerman’s work has been seen locally in exhibitions such as the Focus Exhibition (2022). She was a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards (2022).
| Ticket Type | Price | Cart |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoon Tea and Art with Eve Boermans | $10.00 |
Join us for a kōrero in the Gallery Café led by exhibiting artist Coral Noel Yang and Centre Director Paul Brobbel. Our conversation will be informed by the themes explored in Tokimeku, currently exhibiting in the Malcolm Smith Gallery. This is a great opportunity for artists, art lovers and the artistically curious alike to engage with contemporary art in an open and friendly environment.
All are welcome.
Tuesday 21st May, 2 – 3pm at the Gallery Café
Complementary coffee/tea are included in your ticket.
Bookings are essential. To secure your spot, please book through our website.
Tokimeku
‘Tokimeku’ (ときめく) is a Japanese word that beautifully captures the sensation of a throbbing, fluttering, and palpitating heart—a visceral response to the dance of anticipation. This concept serves as the inspiration for Coral Noel Yang latest collection of expressive abstract works. Influenced by her immersive experience at Tamagawa Hot Spring, a secluded mountain healing site in her mother’s hometown, Akita, Japan, these artworks vividly reflect the essence of her journey, where the heartbeat of nature resonates in captivating visual expressions.
As Coral delves into the memories of her travels, central themes of wonder, awakening, connection, and rebirth crystallise within this collection. A poignant narrative thread weaves through her heartfelt reunion with family after a period of Covid-induced separation, alongside tales of healing and the therapeutic energy found in Tamagawa. Coral’s purpose is to imbue her works with the vitality and sense of belonging she absorbed from this transformative journey.
About the Artist
Coral Noel Yang, an Auckland-based contemporary painter, specializes in abstract and floral art using acrylic, blending Soak-Stain techniques with Asian water-ink traditions. Her vibrant and layered works exude luminous hues and expressive marks, drawing inspiration from Aotearoa’s landscapes and florals, her 15 years of global filmmaking experience, and her Chinese-Japanese heritage. Enthralled by the unpredictable beauty of fluidity, she navigates between intuitive material play and meticulous design, crafting layers adorned with water marks, organic shapes, and whimsical brushstrokes. Her paintings capture nature’s essence intertwined with human emotions, evoking a profound sense of wonder and belonging, resonating both locally and internationally. Since 2021, Coral has held solo exhibitions in Auckland, notably including Unfurling (2023) and Tokimeku (2024). Additionally, she is invited to showcase her work at both The Auckland Art Show 2024 and Art in the Park 2024. In 2023, she received the John Wells award at the Emerging Artist Awards of Upstairs Gallery and was a finalist at Craigs Aspiring Art Prize in 2024.
Instagram link: @coralnoelyangart
| Ticket Type | Price | Cart |
|---|---|---|
| Artist Kōrero with Coral Noel Yang | $10.00 |
