There is a strange feeling of deja vu to Gerda Leenards work, the
feeling of almost seeing what is there, or perhaps, what is not. Like
thinking you can recognise the image from a distance but on closer
inspection it changes and, as a result, creates even more uncertainty.
This hazing of shapes and horizons has been an ongoing concern for Leenards.
The confusion that can arise from a vast sea stretching before us,
into an even more immense sky, creates instability in us. For Leenards,
"...sometimes producing a sense of flying when we are not moving at
all."
Leenards tries to connect the viewer in the environment she
presents, engaging one with the abstract and emotive qualities of the
environment, as opposed to the comfort of distance created by instantly
recognisable landscape motifs.
Gerda Leenards is represented in several private collections
throughout New Zealand as well as most public institutions. She has
also been included in several curated exhibitions the most recent being
a survey exhibition at Lopdell House Gallery in Auckland. |
