Sculptor freezes nature

Elizabeth Thompson

Works aim to create illusions that redefine how we view world

The atrium space of the Tauranga Art Gallery is being inhabited by hundreds of white moths this week, hovering in the space as though having arrived of their own accord.

Blending with the white walls, their camouflaged bodies have gently filled the space, tentative in their willingness to be seen, appearing as if this is their natural habitat.

In 2011, Wellington-based sculptor Elizabeth Thomson was invited on a voyage with eight other artists to the Kermadec Islands. At night on Raoul Island, she was intrigued by a mass of moths which occupied the buildings they were staying in. Remembering the moths of her childhood and aware of this abundance, this tenacity of life but also its fragility, she was inspired to create an immersive environment of her own. This became Invitation to Openness - Substantive and Transitive States, a travelling exhibition developed by The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt.

Thomson's elegantly refined works redefine the way we view and consider the inherent beauty of the world around us. All aspects of her practice are meticulous and the technical virtuosity she employs to create the effects of optical illusion are breathtaking.

Using an intense observation of nature, Thomson convincingly recreates botanical, entomological or molecular forms that she incorporates into abstract geometric compositions.

"While this arrangement is the biggest moth installation I've undertaken, it is more understated in its presentation," the artist says.

Elizabeth Thompson with her white moths

"These white moths have a ghostly presence, evoking a sense of unease but also mystery and wonder - like an apparition or vision, a pure moment in time and a reminder of our fragility and transience. Each moth is cast in bronze and flocked in white giving them an eerie realism. The flock invites you to step into the installation, be immersed and become a part of it."