The Floral Chair Project is a collection of oil portraits that reflect the Nelson region, its inhabitants, and our relationship with the space around us.

 

I believe there exists a tension between the privacy of the internal and the exposure of the external. This project explores how one’s experience is shaped when those barriers between spaces fade. What happens when you move an armchair from the comfort and warmth of a living room to the rocky shores of Mapua Wharf? How would you react if you were asked to participate with the intimate nature of being an impromptu model?

 

The location is secondary to the model – subtle but identifiable. We are the ones who have constructed the meaning of spaces, so let’s challenge the expectations of the interior and exterior.

 

Featuring both the Nelson region and its locals, this exhibit showcases how a single floral armchair can influence this symbiotic relationship.

 

To be exhibited in 2023 at the Nelson Suter Art Society’s McKee Gallery, located within The Suter Te Aratoi o Whakatu.