Big Stag 1027 x 1027mm
‘The need to relate to the landscape and to other forms of life … is in our genes. Sever that connection and we are floating in a world where our deepest sense of ourselves is lost.’
– Isabella Tree, 2020. Founder of Wilding UK
In this current body of work Emma Hercus explores our relationship with the wild NZ landscape and its relationship to our often contained hidden wild nature. For those of us living in built up urban environments where the weeds or wild flowers and the odd homeless cat creeping into our garden are the closest we get to 'wild' on a daily basis, this body of work is like taking a deep satisfying breath of fresh air. Emma Hercus offers up this painterly expression of our wild selves with her usual playful vision of people, plants and animals. Her figurative folkloric style abounds in these works with her exploration of daily life in the natural world.
The young romantic 1027 x1027mm
‘In the modern world, the idea of the ubiquitous primal forest – verdant, infinite, unfathomable, prolific – has become, for those yearning for re-enchantment or nostalgic for a richer, deeper kind of nature, the antithesis of the depleted, polluted, parcelled-up landscapes modernity has left us with.' - Isabella Tree, 2020. Founder of Wilding UK
Emma offers up enchanted natural settings, with wild birds, winding entwined overblown New Zealand plant life and her characters nestle themselves into this richly woven wild backdrop.
Swan Song II 1027 x 1027mm
There is an underlying tension that is present in some of these works. The young girl in her heavy metal AC/DC t-shirt and ever-present cell phone in the pocket of her jeans, a child of the modern age, craddling the swan, a symbol of wisdom, balance, inner beauty, and innocence. This clash or tension if you like between coded culture and nature, the worldly and the unsophisticated, the biospheric need to be close to nature working alongside natures unpredictable wild tendencies. I love the oversized stag staring us down from the canvas, challenging our priorities and firmly establishing its place in the animal/human hierarchy, daring us to tame it.
'Like our environment, which is forever altered due to human intervention, human nature has also been irrevocably shifted. Rewilding isn’t about trying to go back to living as hunter-gatherers. Rather, it is about examining our cultural paradigms, seeing how they affect our physical, mental, and emotional health, and reclaiming our birthright as human beings.' - Rewilding university in USA.
This body of work is an invitation to reassess how we live with the natural world around us.
Also part of Wildy, Ceramicist Jenn Leov brings us her beautifully organic ceramic wild garden blooms, jugs and platters sprouting wild flower motifs and glazed in earthy browns and forest greens. Some of the works have been fired in an anagama Kiln, each piece left with the handprint of the kilns own unpredictable wild nature.
“The great appeal of anagama firing is its total unpredictability so that each piece is unique in its character and can never be repeated. Deliberately inefficient and taking considerable amounts of wood, an anagama kiln will reveal the effects of flame, ash and vitrification that make the wares unique.” - Chester Nealie (one of Australasia’s greatest exponents of wood firing)
Artist Statement - Wildy
An exhibition by painter Emma Hercus and ceramicist Jenn Leov
In our fast-paced, modern society, the connection between humanity and nature often feels distant, as if we've forgotten that we are a part of the wildness that surrounds us. "Wildy" is a reflection on this relationship, a celebration of the untamed landscapes and creatures that shape our existence. Through these works, we explore the intricate dance between people and the natural world—how we are both shaped by it and, in turn, shape it.
The wilderness is more than just a backdrop to our lives; it is a force that nurtures, challenges, and inspires us. In these pieces, we aim to capture the essence of what it means to be in harmony with the wild—how the rustle of leaves, the crash of waves, and the call of distant birds are not just external phenomena but echoes of something deep within us. This exhibition invites viewers to reconnect with the wild places within and around them, to recognize the benefits we gain from nature’s untamed beauty, and to remember that, at our core, we are as wild as the world we inhabit.
"Wildy" is a journey into the heart of nature, a reminder that we are not separate from it, but deeply entwined with every leaf, every gust of wind, every creature that roams free. Through this collection, we hope to inspire a deeper appreciation for the wilderness and to encourage a reconnection with the wild spirit within us all.
We are wildy.