We meet Gaen in his studio, surrounded by quiet geometric works – bands of colour, rising planes and softened horizons that feel both abstract and familiar.
These paintings don’t describe the New Zealand landscape so much as recall it, filtered through time, distance and memory.
Raised amongst the varied terrains of Aotearoa, from Hawkdun to the Southern Alps, Gaen’s work is shaped by early encounters with land and years spent travelling across the country. Working in acrylic within the genre of geometric abstraction, he begins with his own landscape photography, extracting region-specific palettes before reducing each scene to its most essential forms.
As he prepares for his upcoming solo exhibition at Black Door Gallery in Parnell, Auckland, we spoke with Gaen about memory, abstraction and the landscapes that linger.
Your work is deeply connected to the New Zealand landscape. Where does it begin?
The scenes I paint are really the playground of my youth. Growing up, you take them for granted. Then, moving away, you start to reflect and think, 'Wow, those places are magnificent’. Many of my paintings are a collection of those memories.
Why abstraction rather than representation?
My work is about bringing the landscape alive in its simplest forms. Up close, it’s abstract and confusing; but the further you step back, the more you see.
How does photography feed into the paintings?
Photography is my starting point. I take photographs as I travel, pull colour palettes from them, then reduce the image until only what feels essential remains.
Colour feels central to your work. How do you approach it?
Colour is essential to my practice. I source palettes directly from my photography, then replicate each hue meticulously to the hundredth of a gram on medical scales, before translating it onto canvas.
Your paintings shift depending on how close you stand. Why that tension?
That’s intentional. Up close, they’re abstract; from a distance, they resolve into landscape. It mirrors how we understand places we’ve left behind.
You sign your work under the name Gaen. Where does that come from?
The name ‘Gaen’ comes from Scots, a verb meaning ‘to go’ – evoking movement, progression and always being on the way somewhere. It’s about a sense of journey, not arrival.
As you prepare for your solo exhibition, how does this body of work feel?
More distilled. The palettes are softer than previous series, giving the collection a nostalgic feeling. There’s confidence in letting less do more.
What do you hope viewers take from the exhibition?
A moment of pause. A sense of recognition. Maybe a memory of a place that still lives with them. Opening night: 12 February, 5:30pm–7:30pm (drinks and music).
Exhibition open daily: 12 - 25 February Come and enjoy Gaen’s contemporary reimagining of the New Zealand landscape through a cubist lens.
Words by Neala Glass
Blackdoor Gallery, 251 Parnell Road, T: 09 368 4554
info@blackdoorgallery.co.nz
info@blackdoorgallery.co.nz
www.blackdoorgallery.co.nz
