In the grand ballroom at historic Alberton, richly decorative floral still lifes by photographer Emma Bass examine the beauty of nature, blurring the boundaries between photography, painting and collage.
With photographed prints of 17th century Dutch and Flemish examples as a starting point - already ‘impossible bouquets’ constructed with elements from mismatched seasons and in distorted perspectives – are further embellished with both natural (real flowers, bees, butterflies) and man-made & mass-produced objects, amplifying their beguiling unreality. Gilded gold cut-outs inspired by Matisse further adorn the opulent surface of the images.
‘Exploring beauty though a manipulated lens’ the illusory perfection of the flower portraits fuse the heritage of the masters with a contemporary sensibility to recontetextualise the genre in the 21st century.
Emma Bass is represented by Artis Gallery, Auckland
Talking Culture - Artist Talk
2pm Sun 7 June
Alberton, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga presents photographer Emma Bass in conversation with Aimee Rafini from Art Ache, as part of the satellite exhibition The Impossible Garden at Alberton. Read more...
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