QUEENS
QUEENS showings in 2024:
15 March - 12 April 24 Lake House Arts Centre | Becroft gallery | Takapuna Auckland NZ
29 May - 23 July 24 Smales Farm B:Hive | Takapuna Auckland NZ
25 July – 22 August 24 Studio One Toi Tū | Ponsonby Auckland NZ
QUEENS was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2021 International Photography Awards in Los Angeles
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They are busy and they are mesmerising. They are the producers of liquid gold and they are the ones that keep our planet alive. They have been here forever but need our love and care for survival. We simply cannot be without them. I was wooed from the very first day that we introduced a beehive to our garden. They soon ALL became Queens to me.
Bees are fascinating creatures and the more you learn about them, the more fascinating they become. Watching them dive in and out of their hive; dash around the bush like shooting stars and hum soothing ‘songs’ brings me happiness and a great sense of calm - like a meditation. Despite their busyness, they radiate serenity and tranquility, almost hypnotic. Like little healers. I have become very protective of them and love having them in our little ecosystem.
Thankfully, over the past few years, awareness around the importance of bees has grown immensely. Urban hives are being welcomed on the likes of residential properties, corporate rooftops and community gardens. I am hoping that this movement isn’t merely ‘en-vogue’ but rather something we collectively embrace as part of our lives and a sustainable global future. I hope that we continue to educate communities on their significance and that many more will be mesmerised and naturally step-up for their protection and survival.
Their beauty and serenity is what I hope to showcase in this exhibition. Whilst musing in front of their hive, my desire to create a visual stage for them was born. I aim to present them in such a way that all you see is them in their brilliance with no other visual distractions. It has been a wonderful creative journey that I feel did not go unnoticed by my bees. Whilst editing my work, I noticed that in many photographs they had their curious heads turned my way, acknowledging my presence and showing their awareness. Absolutely intriguing…as I said, the more you engage with them, the more fascinating they become!
I hope that you will be enthralled by QUEENS and that these images ignite a curiosity for the world of bees that will eventually help the bees, all of us and our planet…
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