There will be two featured artists at the Thames Art Gallery for the month of April – Dany-Kintara Pike and Lisa Stent, who will showcase pieces from their collections for the community.
At the northern end of the gallery, “intuitive artist” Dany will share her creation called HeartBloodArt for young and old souls.
The creative, who is originally from Germany and now deeply rooted in the natural rhythms of New Zealand, said her work was born from devotion, presence and the “sacred pulse of life itself”.
The art maker believed she was guided by a profound spiritual and earth-based connection, with creations inspired by ancient goddesses, dancers, and the living intelligence of nature, she said.
Through sculpture, paintings and handcrafted pendants, she was able to give form to emotion, energy and the unseen, which offered meaningful pieces for those who honoured the sacred and the divine, she said.
Beyond her personal art practice, Dany facilitated creative workshops that weaved together intuitive art and spiritual exploration.
People were guided and invited to express what came up through embodied creativity, she said.
At the southern end of the gallery, Lisa will present a collection of works that reflected her “deep connection” to place, memory and the natural world, she told The Profile.
“My work is intuitive and mixed media; full of texture, collage, marks, words, symbols and little surprises that peek through the layers.”
“Most pieces go through many transformations before I know they’re done. I don’t always start with a clear plan, but I always know when to stop,” she said.
Lisa, who has lived most of her life on the Coromandel Peninsula, said she found “ongoing inspiration” in the coastal environment – from the shifting tides and weathered roads to the small-town character of places on the wider peninsula.
Her exhibition is set to showcase recent works alongside evolving themes that continue to shape her creative journey, she said, such as a celebration of nature, her whakapapa (Ngāti Pūkenga), and the “delicate threads that connect us to the landscapes we call home”.
“I want my art to reflect life in all its layers,” she said.
“I want you to see what you see, not necessarily what I see. I want you to enjoy the visual and textural experience, whatever that means to you.”
DETAILS: Thames Art Gallery, 604 Tararu Rd, Thames, open daily from 10am to 4pm.
By DAVIDDA HIKATANGATA
