Manmade
15 August—4 September
Born in Wellington in 1964, Bruce Hunt was educated at Wellington College and Victoria University. He has been a fulltime artist since 1983 and has been exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand.
Bruce Hunt’s epic depictions of Otago and South Canterbury landscapes encompass a powerful authority. Hunt explores the history, geology and myth that envelops the vast empty tussock-clad hills and arid plains of the Lindis, Danseys Pass and Dunstan Trail regions.
In this exhibition, Manmade, there is a slight shift of focus in Hunt’s paintings. Rather than his works solely containing the rolling hills he is so commonly associated with, three paintings include objects or household remnants left alone within the surrounding environment. A loneliness echoes from these subjects, which display a man made interference deeply rooted within these vast landscapes.
Masterfully, Hunt captures the subtle play of light and consequent shadow. The muscular geology of the land seems clothed in folds of soft velvet as he layers translucent paint in warm shades over cool to produce an inner radiance.
Hunt spends much of his time traversing sheep trails or old gold mining paths. Hunt states:
“As an artist my fuel is the anticipation of discovering new territories but also the seasoned familiarity of places returned to again and again”.
Image: Tussock and Tarns Richmond Range
