EXHIBITIONS

Bloom of Decay – group show

Bloom of Decay

Bloom of Decay brings together Wellington artists Emma Weakley, Laura Olenska and Shanti Gore in an exploration of mortality, rebirth and the natural cycle of life and death.

 

Through drawing, watercolour and oil painting, the three artists bring their distinct visual languages to a world where beauty and decay exist side by side. Drawing inspiration from nature, folklore and the strange, sometimes unsettling atmosphere of the forest, the exhibition explores what happens in the space between growth and decline, life and death, and our inevitable return to the earth.

 

Dark yet luminous, Bloom of Decay invites us to look at decay not simply as an ending, but as transformation: the place from which something new can emerge.

 

29 September – 4 October 2026

Opening night : Tuesday 29 September at 6pm

 

More info

Emma Weakley

Emma Weakley is an illustrator and sometimes writer living on the Kapiti Coast. Emma’s work is heavy on detail, horror, nature, death, belief, and rebirth. That Kind of Planet, her collection of short comics, was published in 2016 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for best production/publication in 2017. She also won the Sir Julius Vogel award in 2008, 2014, and 2017 for best professional artwork. 

Instagram : @theninjazebra / DeviantArt : www.deviantart.com/porceliandoll

Shanti Gore

Shanti Gore is a self-taught artist, residing in Wellington. Their practice is strongly influenced by 20th Century illustration, incorporating figurative and surrealist painting. They work across watercolour, oils, and charcoal mediums, exploring themes of the natural world, the mythic, the gothic, and story-telling. Their work has been featured in the Kumeu Art Awards (2024), and as a finalist in the Upstair’s Gallery Emerging Artists Awards (2022, 2024).

Instagram : @shantigore / Website : www.shantigore.com

Laura Olenska

Laura Olenska is a painter based in Wellington, New Zealand, where she has lived since 2017 and which she now calls home. Born in Paris, she is a self-taught artist with a background in art history at the Sorbonne and cinematography studies in Paris. She works primarily with oil on canvas and clay, blending classical techniques with her own contemporary narratives. Her practice explores psyche and inner transformation.

Instagram : @lauraolenska / Website : www.lauraolenska.com