Year 13 Visual art student Nyle Turuwhenua is taking part in an exhibition with professional artist at the Railway St. Gallery The exhibition is called ‘As Above, So Below’ and opens Friday 17 June, 5.30pm, 2022.
The exhibition runs from the 16 June – 5 July 2022. The theme of the exhibition is based on unseen networks – mycelial, alluvial, dendrological, familial that connect through histories, landscapes, timelines. The idea for this show began with a conversation about matriarchal rites of passage. Discussion soon morphed into inquiries of ancestral connections and the felt-sense of ‘me’ in relationship with a nature-connected environment. Like the complex root systems of our native and non-native trees, the work in this shared space aims to push beneath the dermis; to be in symbiotic relationship above and below the surface, in conversation with the forces around us.
Nyle’s practice spans the fields of printmaking, photography, painting and weaving. Her work is strongly influenced by her connection to her Māori heritage. Developing skills as a weaver has been an important catalyst in her personal and artistic development, exploring ideas about identity and cultural heritage. Nyle uses a combination of traditional techniques and contemporary materials in her weaving. Her printmaking encapsulates ideas surrounding kaitiakitanga, guardianship and connection. In Nyle’s work, birds and weaving play a key role in the act of kaitiakitanga.
Nyle values the tactile and the handmade, and the act of labour involved in printmaking and weaving. Both of these processes involve preparation, repeated actions, and physical dexterity which sometimes lead to hands that are calloused and cut. For Nyle, art making is a labour of love, a journey of discovery, and an act resulting in deep connections to self and others.
Mārena
SIZE: 100x60cm
MEDIUM: Kakahu woven with feathers, synthetic and cotton string. For sale $3,000.
https://www.railwaystreetstudios.co.nz/blogs/news-exhibitions/as-above-so-below-16-june-5-july-2022
