BIO
UPCOMING EXHIBITION | FACE FORWARD Group Portrait Show 14 - 30 August 2025
FACE FORWARD is a dynamic group exhibition that explores the evolving language of portraiture in contemporary art. Featuring a diverse selection of artists from around New Zealand, this exhibition brings together an eclectic mix of styles, techniques, and mediums to present fresh perspectives on the human face and figure.
From realist to abstract, each work on display reveals a distinct approach to capturing identity, emotion, and presence. Some portraits challenge traditional aesthetics through bold distortions or surreal compositions, while others delve into themes of memory, cultural identity, and self expression. The exhibition includes work on canvas, panel, paper, and textile.
FEATURING: ALICE FENNESY / HELENA SKERLJ-ROVERS / JAMES SWEETING / JOHN BOYD DUNLOP / KIRSTEN LOVELOCK / LAURETTE LOOKER / ROBYN FLEET / SHARON DUYMEL / TOM ARMSTRONG
Kirsten Lovelock is a Wellington based artist with roots in Dunedin, crafting evocative works that bridge personal memory, dreamlike states, and the metaphysical. A self-taught painter, she embraces the spontaneous and the symbolic, letting her pieces emerge organically rather than following a premeditated path. Since her first exhibition in 2003, her paintings have become part of private collections both in New Zealand and internationally.
Drawing inspiration from surrealism, symbolism, and post-WWII New Zealand landscape painters, Kirsten’s work conjures otherworldly realms, childhood narratives, and layered identities. Her style has been described as dreamlike, where symbols take on lives of their own, guiding the story as it unfolds.
Kirsten’s creative process is instinctive, akin to automatic drawing or painting. She begins with a blank board, allowing images to materialise without deliberate intent. Only as the work evolves does meaning start to reveal itself, though often, its origins remain mysterious even to her. Retrospectively, her paintings reflect fragments of personal history, literature, music, and broader cultural undercurrents, all woven into the fabric of her subconscious. The result? Art that resists a singular interpretation, inviting viewers to bring their own narratives to the surface.
Beyond painting, Kirsten is a researcher, social anthropologist, and author, disciplines that inevitably seep into her artistic vision. Her series The Yellow Brick Road, for instance, emerged from her time living and conducting research in the United States, later revealing itself as an artistic exploration of national myths and collective memory.
EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS
NEW COLLECTORS GROUP SHOW | February 20 - March 8 2025
FACE FORWARD | Group Portrait Show | 14 - 30 August 2025
