Burrow (Collapse) explores bee species and habitat through a variety of works in different mediums. Developing from an interest in the non-human, clay and the natural world, the work examines introduced and indigenous bee species in Aotearoa and Australia. Both have introduced honey bees and a burrowing, indigenous variant – 1,700 native bee or Djilyaro species in Australia with about 800 of these in WA and Ngaro Huruhuru with 27 endemic species in Aotearoa.
These pieces develop on earlier works created for the exhibition Pieces, Spaces, Species, at the Blue Oyster Art Project space in 2023 with artists Lucy Hill and Yana Nafysa Dombrowsky M’Baye. This show looked at Georges Perec’s text Species of Space and Other Pieces through the lens of different ways of working with clay. The ceramic works and sculpture created onwards of this exhibition are informed by jewellery, ornamentation and sconces; looking to explore real and imagined ideas of the wild and organic forms and habitat, in hand with examining our understandings of value in relation to the natural world.
Creating clay burrows, hives and temporary dwellings, these nests face challenges within urbanisation and changing landscapes. The temporality of these constructions and necessity of their existence is addressed in various social projects, in Tāmaki Makarau, where the artist resides, this takes the form of For the Love of Bees, an initiative created to support pollination, bee populations and endemic species in Aotearoa. For individuals this can look like pesticide free garden areas and clay banks retained in outdoor spaces, alongside pollination-specific planting. Bee hotels and other constructions offer nests in urbanised environments and can be replicated at a domestic scale.
Opening: Thursday, 2 May 2024, 5.00pm – 7.00pm
Exhibition dates: 26 April – 29 May 2024
Floor talk: Wednesday, 8 May 2024, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Gallery opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am–4pm
Click here for invitation
Images are Courtesy of the Artist
Image 1 | Untitled | 2024 | Ceramic & Chain
Image 2 | Untitled | 2024 | Ceramic Series
Image 3 | Untitled work in progress (close up)| 2024 | Steel Aluminum Elastic Chain Paint
Image 4 | Untitled | 2024 | | Steel Aluminum Elastic Chain Paint
