EXHIBITIONS
Bloom of Decay – group show
28 September – 4 October 2026
Opening night : Tuesday 29 September
Bloom of Decay is a collaborative exhibition bringing together the work of Wellington artists Laura Olenska (oil painting and sculpture), Emma Weakley (drawing and illustration), and Shanti Gore (watercolour and oil painting).
Through their distinct artistic languages, the 3 artists explore the fragile threshold between life and death, growth and decline, beauty and dissolution. Inspired by forests, folklore, myth, and the quiet poetry of decay, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider mortality not as an ending, but as an essential force of transformation and renewal.
Together, their works create an immersive landscape where darkness and beauty coexist, revealing the profound connection between loss, change, and rebirth.
SOON...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 and sculptor 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 surrealism, psyche, light and shadow, and inner transformation, often reflecting on the human condition.
Instagram : @lauraolenska / Website : www.lauraolenska.com