Exhibitions

An exhibition curated by textile artist Liz Smith, interpreting the works of five artists, through the language of tufting and intricate embroidery.

participating artists: Tanya Blong, Catrina Lloyd, Mandy Jakich, mike Davison, Jeff Thomson

State of Leisure 2023

Tanya Blong’s figurative work speak to a moment in time. Heated summers being a backdrop to society at leisure, languid and idle, a juxtaposition to the fast-paced modern world. It is a dual commentary, an immersion into a slow sensory world, filled with the poetics of life, whilst floating ideas of the luxury of time, access and inclusion.

 The interest in the overarching theme of this body of work “state of Leisure” relates to the sensory state of being at leisure, the moments when we are idle, when we pause, how this opening of being present within our body creates connections to nature, ourselves and others, slowing down time. It looks at the escapism of water, and the inner being of this watery landscape. It can bring up questions of the luxury of time and the tension between a commerce – based society and a nature – connected world, raising important questions about our values and priorities. 

Blong celebrates the act of painting, the laying down of colour by colour, the marriage of lights and darks. It is these juxtapositions of colour's that convey emotion and allude to the viewer a sense of inclusion…. or perhaps exclusion. Her process consists of laying down a ground or an underpainting, that is left to glow through in the final work. She works from a basic sketch, imagery often sourced from historic artists work, relating to leisure. The work is painted up as a first pass, with subsequent layers, figures are often added, altered or removed, along with the background content – this problem solving adds to the depth of colour's with remnants of the first layers showing through.

Allpress Studio, operated by Allpress Espresso, is a public gallery celebrating emerging and established artists and designers in Aotearoa. Each month the studio welcomes visitors with new exhibitions and events showcasing wonderful artists and supporting community initiatives.