Donkeys, bats and snails are the focus of Sydney-based artist Noel McKenna's new exhibition at the Brett McDowell Gallery.
Speaking from Sydney, McKenna said he wanted to focus on animals which had been somewhat neglected in art.
"I suppose they aren't exactly glamorous animals, but I do find them interesting to look at," McKenna said.
"Perhaps it was my upbringing as a strict Catholic, where I was exposed to all those paintings of Mary and the donkey. Also, snails get trod on a lot, which isn't very nice."
McKenna's work has been exhibited in nearly all the major galleries in Australia.
Dunedin gallery owner Brett McDowell described McKenna's work as having a "very laconic sense of humour".
He said McKenna's paintings, with their invocations of childhood memories, placed him in the Australian tradition of "story-telling".
"It's not a tradition we have in New Zealand so much," said McDowell.
"Here, there seems to be more focus on symbolism and abstraction, even to the extent of having words scrawled all over the canvas, but in Australia that story-telling tradition dates back to those early paintings of the Kelly gang."
McKenna was not so sure about this claim.
"I guess my paintings often depict moments in time, or memories of something," McKenna said.
"But I don't know whether they have a beginning, middle or end. There are often things happening in them, though, so I suppose that makes them stories."
However, he admitted his work often focused on aspects of Australian suburbia.
"It makes sense for me to depict these things, because these are the places I have lived in since my early upbringing in Brisbane. I think it's important for an artist to portray the world around you."
McKenna hoped people brought their own interpretations to his work, but said: "If this exhibit has any message, it is that you shouldn't tread on snails, or laugh at donkeys."
The exhibition runs at the Brett McDowell Gallery until October 23.
