The Shape of Gathering - Solo Exhibition by Anne Daniel

Anne has come to us from Hokitika where she nurtures over a hectare of garden that provides her with a special source of materials for her art practice. Over the years Anne has developed many different sculptural expressions using primarily her distinctive harakeke fibres, supported by other harvested plant materials for twining, cordage, and structural elements. Bringing these fibres into three dimensional expressions allows us to see light, textures and shadows of a special character. Each work is a stand alone testimony to the beauty and strength of the natural world.

The Shape of Gathering explores how materials, forms and gestures come together—sometimes loosely, sometimes tightly—to hold space.

Each work begins with the gathering of plant matter from in and around my garden - harakeke, leaf, vine, branch.  The natural elements are transformed into sculptural works using a variety of techniques. The works hold memory, presence and intention. They celebrate natural colour, imperfection, and the quiet marks left by time and weather.

The works are gatherings in themselves: of textures, of time, of place. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the act of gathering—materials, gestures, and ideas—and to consider their own ways of connecting with the natural world.

Anne's hope is they evoke an emotional response—an invitation to pause, to touch, to wonder.