Tauranga artist to feature in New York show

A Tauranga artist's work will feature in an exhibition in New York city this month.

Barry Dabb's artwork will be shown as part of The Substance of Form exhibition, New York's Agora Gallery assistant Olga Ku said.

Agora Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery located in the heart of Chelsea's fine art district in New York.

The exhibition begins on July 29 and will run until August 19.

"With both the appeal of personal expression and the universal applicability that makes something easily accessible, the art of The Substance of Form plays with our ideas about what we expect to see, and gently encourages us both to see more deeply and to appreciate our expanded perspective," last night's announcement said.

Barry Dabb's full art display can be viewed here.

Mr Dabb was born in New Zealand and is believed to currently live and work in Tauranga.

He graduated from Auckland University with a BA majoring in Art History and Anthropology and from Auckland Secondary Teachers College with a Diploma in Teaching in Visual Arts.

"Influenced by his travels throughout Polynesia, Barry Dabb's recent paintings explore the nature of the cultivated, tropical garden," the announcement said.

"While the lush, verdant foliage may be seen to pay homage to a 'natural wild' the presence of species that are often not indigenous to a particular place allows for a critical engagement with issues of colonisation and cultural assimilation.

"Dabb draws his imagery from photographs taken on site and builds his paintings in oil on canvas with a smooth and considered motion.

"The naturalistic treatment of colour and light thus celebrates the life and richness of these cultivated environments while alluding to the passage of time, both through the physicality of the painting process and the development and adjustment of the Island Nations these gardens represent.