The title of Deidre Copeland’s art exhibition, currently showing in Hullabaloo Art Space, has many connotations.
For Deidre, it is a deliberate shifting of focus back to art.
The works themselves have a variety of shapes overlaid, with lots of circles, ovals and the introduction of crosses. In some paintings, too, there is a feeling that one shape is transforming into another.
“Every painting has a story,” says Deidre, adding, “The models are family and friends, and for me they become like actors, and I am moving them around to tell the story, to create my message in a unique way.”
Deirdre is one of New Zealand’s most recognisable artists – especially known for the hyperrealism of her portraits.
She has won many major art awards, and her paintings are exhibited in ten public galleries throughout New Zealand, including the national portrait gallery in Wellington.
She has painted wonderful landscapes of Southland, where she spent her childhood, and she is now inspired by the geography of the human face, with all of its nooks and crannies.
She is genuinely obsessed with the human face, its uniqueness, and the intriguing stories behind it.
In this exhibition you will find prints, mixed media, limited edition etchings, graphite and pencil sketches, as well as oil paintings of various sizes. You’ll probably recognise some of the locals.
“I am enjoying being part of Hullabaloo,” says Deidre, “I was used to working in solitude, and I find it motivational to be with like-minded people. Having sometimes to work with themes as a collective challenges me, and sometimes this sparks up a new body of work.”
Shape Shifting is at Hullabaloo Art Space in the Cromwell Precinct.
