Parnell Gallery is delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s Aotearoa Art Fair, presenting four contemporary New Zealand artists who, through the act of painting and sculpture, explore their subliminal, abstract, and historical connections to the natural and urban landscape.
Presenting new paintings from Neil Driver, Elliot Love, and Greer Clayton, alongside sculpture from Kiya Nancarrow, the works on view would be curated with consideration to broader notions of ‘the landscape’, with each artist engaging and interpreting their subject through a diverse merging of abstract and representational form.
Through their individual lenses, these four New Zealand artists conceptualise the composition and form of the landscape through processes that engage with the significance of recollection, inquiry, observation, and reduction of the physical world.
Through his paintings of cars from the 1960s to the late 1990s, Elliot Love explores notions of entropy. His intimate, atmospheric works document the degeneration of these vehicles against quiet urban streets, titling each painting with the car’s make and the specific moment or location of encounter. With an emphasis on the interplay of light and geometric elements, the frequent absence of human figures creates an enigmatic, reflective atmosphere, inviting contemplation on presence and the passing of time.
Represented by Parnell Gallery since 2021, Love’s works are held in notable private collections, including the Ballin Art Collection in Seoul.
Neil Driver explores an engaging blend of representational and conceptual elements through a painting practice that spans both still life and landscape subjects. Though absent of a depicted human form, his works evoke a palpable sense of human presence while utilising light and shadow to create a meditative stillness. Through compositions of natural objects, human-made vessels, interiors, and seascapes viewed through imagined apertures, Driver encourages contemplation on perception and the details of domesticity.
Represented by Parnell Gallery since 2010, Driver’s works are held in private collections worldwide.
Greer Clayton
Artist Talk: Held Friday 2 May, 11.15am on stand G-18
Greer Clayton’s immersive compositions offer a dynamic vision of Aotearoa’s landscape while transcending topographical representation. For Clayton, abstraction serves as a powerful conduit, where the ambiguity of location fosters space for introspection, solitude, and personal interpretation. Her delicate exploration of atmosphere and terrain along with subtle shifts in color, light, and form create a visual dialogue that possesses timeless and ethereal qualities while reflecting a deep connection to the land.
Represented by Parnell Gallery since 2013, Clayton’s work is held in private collections across Aotearoa and internationally.
Kiya Nancarrow’s sculptural practice explores the dynamic interplay of energy, blending the tangible with the ethereal. Working in ceramic and steel, her pieces emerge from a visceral engagement with materials, reflecting the inward energies drawn from her surroundings. Nancarrow awakens clay’s potential through tactile processes, balancing control with spontaneous discovery. Her ceramic works celebrate a continuous flow of energy, without clear beginnings or ends. Through Corten and mild steel, Nancarrow creates vibrant sculptures reflecting themes of strength and impermanence. Her steel works communicate beauty and endurance, weathering the elements gracefully.
Represented by Parnell Gallery since 2014, her works are held in private collections worldwide.
