1–5 May 2019

LIANNE EDWARDS

Beauty and chaos, transience and permanence are key phrases in Lianne Edwards’ analysis
of nature and its mindless destruction by humankind.

Lianne Edwards’ background as a marine biologist and a creative artist serves to position her at the forefront of eco artists in New Zealand.
Her interest in both science and art finds its voice in artworks that make comment on our relationship with the natural world. All too often humankind is found wanting in any examination of our interaction with nature. Edwards’ work, often microscopically delicate, or alternatively, commanding a strong physical presence, tells the story of a world at war with itself. With a focus on the ocean and seashore, Edwards confronts us with our own weapons of destruction which are deployed in artworks that lead the way in contemporary social conscience art in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Lianne is of Pacific ancestry, specifically of Tongan descent. Brought up in South Auckland, her paternal grandmother, Aurora Amy Longi (Young) came to New Zealand from Tonga in the 1920s. Aurora married a pakeha New Zealander and remained in New Zealand for almost thirty years. She returned to Tonga in the 1950s where she spent the last years of her life until her death. 

Lianne has work in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Chartwell Collection,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, James Wallace Arts Trust and many private and public collections.

 

 

Whitespace (Stand #C11) 
New Zealand’s premier international showcase for contemporary art, from 1–5 May at the Cloud on Auckland’s Queen’s Wharf.
artfair.co.nz