She’s about to ‘Paint the Town’.

Auckland-based self-taught contemporary artist Rachel Rush opens her latest exhibition, inspired by street art, graffiti, popular culture and the visual character of cities around the world, at Queenstown’s Artbay Gallery on Friday.

‘Paint the Town’, which runs until September 17, is described as an “explosion of colour, humour and unexpected detail”, in which larger-than-life characters, familiar cultural references and expressive mark-making collide in works designed to command attention, spark recognition and, above all, bring a sense of fun.

Rush, who launched her first Queenstown solo exhibition in a pop-up gallery in 2024, is inspired by travel and her surroundings, with textures, imagery and street attitude finding their way into her work, providing a gritty urban edge while retaining an unmistakable optimism and playfulness, full of humour and nostalgia.

Artbay director Pauline Bianchi says the Friday  21st opening runs from 5.30pm-7.30pm at the Marine Pde gallery — attendees should “expect the unexpected”.

— TRACEY ROXBURGH