Traditions brought together in exhibit

The ongoing relationships between artists, poets and the awa (rivers) of Southland are explored in "Tying Traditions Together", a new exhibition at Gore’s Eastern Southland Gallery.

Since the gallery’s founding 42 years ago, artists and writers had been invited to engage with the Mataura River as both subject and source of inspiration, a statement from the gallery said.

This enduring dialogue is richly reflected in the gallery’s permanent collection.

At the heart of the exhibition are works by Marilynn Webb, Trevor Moffitt and Irish painter Barrie Cooke, an avid angler whose practice was closely tied to river environments.

Their visual responses are complemented by the poetic voices of laureates Brian Turner, Bill Manhire and Cilla McQueen.

Together, these artists and writers had woven a layered and evocative tribute to place, highlighting the cultural, ecological and emotional significance of the river, it said.

This presentation is timed to coincide with "Living Water: Poetry, Art and the Fight for Clean Rivers", an exhibition at the University Library at Pembroke College, Cambridge, England.

That exhibition focuses on Cooke’s northern hemisphere collaborations with poets Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, similarly exploring rivers as sites of creative exchange and ecological reflection.

By bringing these intersecting practices into focus, "Tying Traditions Together" places Murihiku within a broader, international conversation about rivers, angling, creativity and environmental stewardship.

Other featured artists include Janet de Wagt, Paul McLauchlan, Jo Ogier, Barry Cleavin and Errol Allison.

Admission is free. — Allied Media