‘Rain’-inspired art on show

A poem by the late Hone Tuwhare has brought together four leading artists, whose group exhibition "Small Holes in the Silence" is  on show at the Eastern Southland Gallery.

"This stunning exhibition features the work of four nationally recognised printmakers — Kyla Cresswell, Catherine Macdonald, Prue MacDougall and Nan Mulder," gallery programmes officer Marcella Geddes said in a statement. 

"The works, all inspired by Hone Tuwhare’s beautiful poem Rain, create a thoughtful and contemplative exhibition utilising a wide variety of printmaking processes."

 Anchored by the poem’s title,  the artists are connected in their individual exploration of environment, atmosphere and language, Geddes said. 

The impact of rain is felt throughout the works — in depictions of wetlands,  waterfalls,  icebergs, dry landscapes and mythological figures that celebrate nature. 

"We have been given the use of kōwhao iti ana i te marino/ small holes in the silence, a line from Hone Tuwhare’s poem Ua/Rain," Macdonald said. 

"It is a poem that resonates with us all; in the poem Tuwhare speaks to rain as an equal, a friend, a lover and acknowledges that if he was gone the rain would continue." 

Geddes said the exhibition featured a range of intaglio printmaking processes including drypoint, photopolymer etching as well as wall hangings on silk, artist books, drawing and silverpoint. 

This group of artists have exhibited widely together in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and in international group shows, she said.

The artists gratefully acknowledge Rob Tuwhare and the Hone Tuwhare Estate for permission to use text from the poem. — Allied Media