Mataura Falls unveiled

A Mataura artist is set to explain his latest work in a talk this weekend.

Paul McLachlan will give an artist talk in conjunction with his current exhibition Te Au Nui/Big Swirling Waters at the Eastern Southland Gallery this Sunday at 4pm.

Born and raised in the Gore area, he lives in Mataura and has a studio on the banks of the Mataura River.

Te Au Nui, the traditional name for the Mataura Falls, meaning "big swirling waters", is an art project centred around the rich historical, cultural, and environmental tapestry of the falls. The project delves into the multifaceted layers of meaning and interconnectedness, offering a meditation on the falls’ past, present, and future.

He will speak about the themes and processes behind the works in the exhibition.

At its core, Te Au Nui seeks to unravel the interplay between human interactions and the underlying rhythms of the natural world. It investigates how industrial advancements and exploitative actions, epitomised by the 19th-century dynamiting of the falls, have shaped the region’s ecological and cultural fabric.