the closest thing i have to a voice of reason

This joint exhibition featured work by myself, my partner Robyn Penn, and our collaborative persona, Artu Peatoo. It marked our first exhibition in Aotearoa New Zealand and brought together a range of works—both those we had brought with us from South Africa and new pieces created since our arrival in December 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, I had recently begun working in ceramics and had completed a residency at Auckland Studio Potters, so the exhibition included my ceramic works alongside pastels, screenprints, and ink drawings. Robyn contributed her ink and bleach paintings, etchings, and lithographs. Works by Artu Peatoo included oil paintings, artist books, and collaborative drawings.

The exhibition reflected both continuity and transformation, works that travelled with us across continents, and others shaped by our new environment and and grounded in our new home.