Louise Purvis
Galvanised steel wire, pinecones
Landforms, processes and man-made or natural events that alter,
mark and define the earth's surface have informed much of Purvis'
recent work. Dispensary was derived from a river system
but has been extracted from the ground and now occupies the same
space as its viewers. It interacts with the site by mimicking a
natural form even as it remains a mechanical and obvious impostor.
A cage offers protection to its contents-or is it the converse:
does it protect viewers from what is within?
Louise Purvis was born in Pahiatua in 1968. She studied design
at Hawkes Bay Polytechnic and later at Waiariki Polytechnic
(1986-1990). She was awarded Arts Council grants in 1990 and 1992.
In 1994 she won a Commonwealth Fellowship in the Arts and worked
and studied in Europe.
Purvis has exhibited widely in New Zealand and overseas, with
her works being held in public and private collections. She has
also completed a number of public sculpture commissions including
Te Puna Wai Ora (2003), Petone; Promise Boat
(2004), Auckland; Seismic (2006), Wellington and Land
Map I Shou University (2006), Taiwan.
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