Art Seen: April 27

In this week's Art Seen, James Dignan looks at exhibitions by Janet de Wagt, Israel Birch, and Te Rongo Kirkwood.

Seventeen Mile Bluff, West Coast, by Janet de Wagt

‘‘Raw’’, Janet de Wagt (Gallery De Novo)

Janet de Wagt's exhibition of landscapes at Gallery De Novo is called ''Raw'', and it is, in a number of key ways.

Firstly, it has been painted directly en plein air, rather than from photographs, sketches, or memory, thus forming a direct connection with the land and the elements. On top of that, there is a visceral nature to the bold strokes, taking us on a personal trip into those points of intersection between sky, sea, and land.

The artist also presents us with a land seemingly untouched by human nature, raw in its elemental state, although this is a deception.

Examination of any of the scenes reveals the hand of mankind, although the only direct image of current human activity is in the form of a distant caravan moving away out of one picture's frame.

There is an intensity in the land depicted (again, the word raw is tempting) that is emphasised by the brushwork and use of colour. The vastness of the scenes is drawn out in the use of unusual canvas shapes - long thin panoramas and steepling verticals.

The land remains solid and fixed, at some times (as in the image of Lake Aviemore) becoming almost an abstract block on which to project our own memories of the countryside.

Tai Aroha (Blue), by Israel Birch

‘‘Prayers and Proverbs’’, Israel Birch (Milford Gallery)

Israel Birch's art is an astonishing mixture of austerity and vitality, of formal geometry and breathing, organic life. His works, created from burnished sheets of metal overlaid with multiple layers of glossy lacquer, glow with an inner fire and ripple with imagined water.

Birch's work is heavily indebted to traditional Maori art and the minimalist art of antecedents, such as Ralph Hotere, who is directly referenced in a couple of the pieces.

Using concentric rings of tones and shades of either red or blue, the burnished steel reflects rippling patterns which flicker and move as the viewer walks past them.

Although it is clear the pieces are of solid steel, there is somehow a soft, liquid quality to them, which adds an extra frisson to the viewing experience.

The work is imbued with a deep spirituality, expressed in the title of one work, Wairua. The wordplay of other works encourages us to see a pun here as well: ''Wairua'' refers to a soul's connection with nature, but can also be broken down into the words ''wai rua'', or two waters.

We see twin Pacific and European influences, and the golden sunlight and muted moonlight playing on the rivers of the soul.

Whiwhi Part II (Present), by Te Rongo Kirkwood

‘‘As Above, So Below’’, Te Rongo Kirkwood (Milford Gallery)

A blend of Maori traditions and modern elements also infuses the work of Te Rongo Kirkwood. Here, traditional Maori style and materials combine with modern scientific discovery to make works which honour the mythological and empirical nature of the universe.

The artist uses historic flax-weaving techniques and non-traditional elements, such as etched glass, to produce impressive and beautiful cloak forms. In other works, the patterns of tukutuku are implied in arrays which also imply the binary-coded images relayed to Earth from space probes and the very large array radio telescope systems designed to receive their messages.

Further glass patterns reference the spectroscopic and radio wave patterns which indicate the precise nature of stellar and planetary atmospheres.

Yet, despite this, the works are distinctly and overwhelmingly within the mainstream of traditional Maori art. In their interweaving of science and spirit, they create a new synthesis and a new language.

If this was not enough, the pieces are also very beautiful. The delicate patterning and play of light in the three God Particle works, the geometries of Black Sun, and the flax and glass Whiwhi works (the latter transcending more boundaries with an appearance which echoes North American ''Thunderbird'' designs) are all standout creations in their own right.