The Hirschfeld Gallery, in Wellington’s City Gallery, will be transformed into a world of water and light with the opening of Gerda Leenards’ new exhibition on 27 November.

Gerda Leenards will create an immersive environment in the gallery, a panoramic scene surrounding the viewer with images of mountainous landscape as seen from the Yulong and Li Rivers. .

Qualities of light, atmosphere and water are central to Leenards’ practice and in Following the Blue Ribbon: Recent Works by Gerda Leenards it is the much-discussed traits of Dutch light, New Zealand light and the light of China that underpin the works. Here, the light is always reflected in and diffused by water.

Following the Blue Ribbon: Recent Works by Gerda Leenards is made up of a sequence of thirty narrow canvas panels along the side walls of the gallery, hung low to emphasise the continuous horizon line. The effect is a panoramic frieze that gives a sense of time lapse photography, but because the images are slightly disconnected, implies time elapsing.

Following the Blue Ribbon: Recent Works by Gerda Leenards will be on display at the City Gallery, Wellington, until 24 January 2010.