Woodcut and Relief. H 1000mm x W 700mm, framed.

Reid’s rest in paradise draws influence from the work of Hans Burgkmair, a pioneering Northern European printmaker associated with the development of chiaroscuro woodcut techniques. Burgkmair’s prints, including his series Monsters of the Southern Land, attempted to imagine territories and creatures beyond European knowledge, often resulting in speculative and fantastical imagery. His influence is reflected both in the printmaking process and in the visual language of this work.

Continuing the artist’s examination of the extinction of New Zealand’s revered endemic Huia, the work draws from a taxidermy specimen staged in a diving pose. While there is little evidence that unfamiliar people, animals or places were historically depicted upside-down, Reid adopts the idea as a metaphor for the misunderstandings and distortions that emerge when interpreting unfamiliar worlds through limited knowledge.

The ribbons and banners woven throughout the composition further reference Reid’s visual language, where such devices were often used to convey authority, grandeur and narrative importance. Here, these forms are recontextualised to explore themes of colonial perception, political failure and the ultimately unsuccessful attempts to preserve the Huia.

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