Sefton Rani Studio

This work titled 21.94° S and 157.92° W
2026 is paint on canvas on board with found objects. It measures 100 x 100cm and is on view in my exhibition Clear My Throat The Arts House Trust which was curated by Dina Jezdic

It has been tortured with flames and sanders while being drilled through with screws and bolts. All the things you are told not to do with a painting has been done to it basically. Canvas threads hanging off it, not neatly stapled taunt to a stretcher, industrial paint... all this encourages the final taboo... viewers touching it to try to work out what it's made from...

It protests, pushing back against the expectations of what a painting is while all the time being housed in this formal stately architecture.

I talk about our exhibition Clear My Throat usually referring to the curator Dina Jezdic and myself. However the exhibition also includes work by artists from the collections of The Arts House Trust and the The Fletcher Trust Collection that have been curated into the show.

It now feels appropriate to give those artists their flowers as their work greatly enhances the experience of being in the space. Their art was selected not only because of the quality and the alignment with the narrative of the exhibition. The work was selected for the sense of making and creating with materials not typically thought of as "fine art" materials. Clay, glitter, steel, LED lighting, wood, found objects, sound and industrial materials all get a chance to shine. All people are created equal and so are materials.

Thanks so much to the following artists especially to those watching from another realm and or who aren't on Instagram...
Reuben Paterson Gregor Kregar Kāhu Kaan Edward Giesen Eric Hiakita Seung Yul Oh haywood.g Julia Morison Wi Taepa

Silence is so potent -100 x 200cm, mixed media on ply.

In the lobby of Pah Homestead is this work, one of the heaviest pieces in my exhibition Clear My Throat curated by

At around 30kg, the Silence is so Potent was one of the last works completed for the show. Made primarily from pine and char, with hints of paint and textile this work feels lighter than its actual weight and the scent of charcoal is still present when you stand close to it.

The exhibition runs until November 15 .

Coverage of my exhibition Clear My Throat curated by Dina Jezdic has now been released by artsdiary.co.nz

It can be found at https://artsdiary.co.nz/185/4506.html

Thanks Sait and Judith for being at the opening. artsdiary.co.nz covered my first exhibition back in 2019 and I have had them present at many of my exhibitions since.

The work featured here is called Empty Calm, 2026 30 x 30cm which is in the exhibition that runs until November 15 at Pah Homestead in Auckland.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 26th) at 2.30pm I have an interview with Jessie Mulligan on Radio NZ about the exhibition Clear My Throat curated by Dina Jezdic The Arts House Trust

It can be listened to live or at anytime online or live on 101.4FM (if in Auckland)

It's a discussion that also covers becoming an artist, the artist life and some books, podcasts and music that are important to me.

Notable (brief) mentions in the discussion include the creators of the soundscape H75-He25 in the exhibition Edward Giesen and Eric Hiakita

Also I reference 2 NZ podcasts which are not only a good listen but will be important references in years and decades to come The Good Oil by Graeme Douglas and CREATIVE CONNECTIONS by Mandy Jakich.

If you take a listen don't laugh I was doing my best! 😀

The The Arts House Trust Pah Homestead is closed today but reopens tomorrow at 9am. If you want to see the exhibition Clear My Throat today, through the window is the best you can do and it will look like this! 🤣

Thanks for the overwhelming support and kind words sent to the curator Dina Jezdic and myself about the exhibition and thanks to those of you already planning to return for a second look as there is so much to take in and experience.

More fun things coming up to support the exhibition, watch this space...

A big thanks to everyone who attended the artist talk The Arts House Trust yesterday lead by curator extraordinaire Dina Jezdic

My rough count was 70+ turned up to listen to what we had to say, a mixture of old friends and new ones. We appreciate all of you and we had fun having the discussion we did. I enjoyed Dina being able to pull out lots of information and narrative that I hadn't revealed before.

The exhibition runs until November 15th so there is lots of time to see it even if you aren't based in Auckland.