Under The Table
November 15th - December 15th
Table Talks Alumni Group Exhibition
Featured Work: Emma Hughes - Threshold
Show Synopsis
Under The Table is a group exhibition showcasing the alumni from Studio Ten81’s monthly Table Talk series, which brings together artists, designers, and creatives for open discussions about their processes, inspirations, and challenges. This exhibition celebrates the diverse artistic expressions that have emerged from these conversations, showcasing an eclectic array of painting, sculpture, printmaking, and mixed media works from both emerging and established artists.
The show highlights a shared ethos among the participants—a deep engagement with the world around them and a commitment to challenging norms while pushing their creative practices further. Through Under The Table, audiences are invited to explore a variety of narratives and techniques from some of the most thought-provoking artists in New Zealand today.
Table Talks - Founded in Oliver Stretton-Pow's studio in 2020, the Table Talks are a cornerstone of Waiheke Island’s creative community. Each month, these gatherings offer artists a platform to share their journeys, discoveries, and challenges. It’s a forum to table new ideas, gain insight, and share knowledge with others eager for inspiration. Now hosted in Studio Ten81, these talks occur on the first Friday of each month at 7 pm, inviting the community to engage with the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art.
Wairua - Kiya Nancarrow
Anton Forde
Anton Forde is a sculptor who draws on his dual Taranaki and Gaelic heritage. He holds a Master of Māori Visual Arts with First Class Honours and a Postgraduate Diploma in Māori Visual Arts from Massey University. His works are deeply inspired by his connection to the land, cultural heritage, and the ancient art traditions he has studied in both New Zealand and Ireland. Forde’s sculptures are featured in both public and private collections around the world.
Featured Work:
Te wā o wai heke (The time of cascading water) - Kōkawa Aotea/ Great Barrier Andesite
Te marino o wai (The stillness of water) - Pounamu Tangiwai/ Aotearoa Bowenite
Bella Christine
Bella Christine is an artist from Waiheke Island whose work spans ceramics, glass, and film. Grounded in ecofeminist philosophy, her creative practice is meditative and intuitive. She explores themes of nature, spirituality, and the impermanent beauty of Papatūānuku (Mother Earth). Bella holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam and is currently pursuing a Diploma in Ceramics.
Featured Work: Wavelets - Ceramic,
"Inspired by the patterns of light refracting in the ocean, Wavelets is a reflection on the dynamic relationship between water and light. Influenced by the coastal landscape of Waiheke Island and grounded in ecofeminist and wabi-sabi ideas, I seek to challenge the modern idea of progress, highlighting the beauty found in the ephemeral and imperfect nature of Papatūānuku."
Chris Booth
New Zealander Chris Booth has been at the forefront of environmental sculpture in a number of countries for over four decades. Chris has a profound interest in developing a creative language that involves deeply meaningful relationships with landforms, flora and fauna. He has a special interest in trying to communicate a real sense of responsibility to our living planet.
Social history and engagement with the wider community, in particular the Indigenous community, are paramount to his art practice. In addition, while engaging and often pioneering in these practices, Chris has over the past three decades gone on to produce large to very large public commissions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Denmark, Italy, France and Germany.
Featured Works:
O3 #2 (1988) – Bronze and Kanuka relief form (1050mm x 2300mm x 120mm)
Nikau Feather #1 (1986) – Aluminium bronze relief (1600mm x 680mm x 20mm)
Clive Humphreys
Clive Humphreys is a printmaker and painter whose work is represented in many private and public collections, including Auckland City Gallery, Te Papa Wellington, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, The Hocken Gallery and Christchurch City Gallery. Recently he has developed a focus on watercolour and acrylic to explore the primeval process of forest and landscape. His technical development of these media is crucially informed by his stencil-making experience in printmaking. Clive graduated from Kingston College of Art and Design, London, in 1970. Since then he has worked and exhibited extensively. In 2015, he was the recipient of a National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award and awarded an Honorary Master of Fine Arts in 2020.
Featured Works:
Wake - Acrylic on paper
Morning - Acrylic on paper
Portal - Acrylic on canvas
Daisy Saaiman
Recently confronted by the duality of words and their silence in art - it illuminated how painting allows for expression beyond verbal constraints and how sometimes the walls that trap us are the ones we draw ourselves. Words, heavy with meaning, transform into symbols and textures, inspiring me to create a dialogue through colour and form, where the interplay of language and imagery becomes an almost meditative practice. Reminding us that while words are powerful, the essence of art lies in its visual expression.
Featured Works:
“Redress” (74x107) acrylic on board
“Relation II” (74x122) acrylic on board
“Boxed in” (76x76) acrylic on canvas
“Relation” (74x100) acrylic on board
Demelza Round
Demelza is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer and educator. She is currently the Head of the Creative Industries Faculty at Waiheke High School and a Professional Teaching Fellow for Technology at the University of Auckland. Her social enterprise Project Make aims to bring together artists, designers and educators to develop resources and events to foster creative practice across domains. Her fine art of late demonstrates her interest in space, movement, biology and our layers of perception. She is best described as a mercurial, frustrated printmaker.
Featured Works:
Study in colour - Gouache, Gold leaf, Marker
Study in gold - Paint Pens, Gold leaf
Study of hopeful connection - Gouache, Gold leaf, Marker
Denis O'Connor
Denis O'Connor is an acclaimed sculptor whose work spans from large-scale public monuments to intimate personal narratives. Since 1985, he has been at the forefront of reimagining the potential of stone in contemporary art, working with materials such as limestone, Welsh slate, and ceramics. His practice is marked by collaborations with painters, architects, and poets, reflecting his multidisciplinary approach to art-making. O’Connor’s work is featured in major public collections across New Zealand, and he has received numerous prestigious commissions. His craftsmanship is widely celebrated for its meticulous attention to detail, and his pieces often engage with New Zealand and Irish history, weaving personal and global narratives into his distinctive visual language.
Emma Hughes
Following a 25 year photography career, Emma now focuses her art practice on painting, ceramics and printmaking. She is excited by movement and flow, shape, colour, texture and light, and is always looking for new ways to capture and express what surrounds her.
"Painting for me is an attempt to wrangle chaos into submission through the use of shape, line, colour and rhythm. I work with acrylics, pastel and charcoal to create multiple layers of interest within the work, beginning with an absolute calamity of colour and shape on the canvas and labouring until something resembling order shows itself. I consider myself to be working in collaboration with the painting to reach an unforeseen end goal, which I find exciting, frustrating, and liberating."
Featured Works
Threshold - Acrylic on panel
Acceptance (diptych) - Acrylic and pencil on canvas
What the River Said. - Acrylic, Pastel, Charcoal and Graphite on canvas
Julia Holden
Julia Holden is a multidisciplinary artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand, who combines painting with performance to explore the country’s evolving social history. After a career in film and television, she earned a BFA from Elam, Auckland, and an MFA from Monash University, Melbourne. Holden has exhibited widely across New Zealand and Australia, creating her innovative Performance Paintings in venues such as City Gallery, Wellington, and Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui. She has held artist residencies at Tylee Cottage and Dunedin School of Art, is a finalist in numerous contemporary art awards, and her work is in both public and private collections.
"These three works belong to my on-going series titled, fanfiction. Fan fiction is a term used to describe the inventions of an admirer of an existing piece of work (most often a novel, TV show or movie), which feature characters or storylines borrowed from the original. The threedimensional works in soft clay and house paint masquerade as doppelgāngers for original paintings by Edouard Manet and Antoine Vollon."
Featured Works
Gift to Berthe Morisot (Violets, after Edouard Manet) - sculpted soft clay and house paint, 32 x 28 cm
Two Pears (after Edouard Manet) - sculpted soft clay and house paint, 32 x 28 cm
Mound of Butter (after Antoine Vollon) - sculpted soft clay, house paint, and plastic bag, 52 x 40 cm,
Kiya Nancarrow
Kiya completed a BA(hons) in Ceramics at the University of Westminster, London(1997) where she was enjoying an extended OE of 20yrs! Her practise initially ran alongside other work as an Occupational Therapist in Mental Health, and Buddhist Psychotherapy. She then returned to New Zealand(home) in 2004, where making in ceramics, steel and wood became the full-time focus on Waiheke Island. Her work is a reflection on the continuum of energy and/or movement in its most subtle form(often unseen) but ever present. This is influenced by her studies in Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and lots of rural wandering as a child! The hope is that the viewers eye will move without interruption, creating a sense of freedom and release from constraint.
In 2017 she began exploring work on a larger scale with steel. A unique ‘steel press’ was designed by a friend and made by local engineers, which enabled her to further the path of ‘energy loops’. This is an ongoing challenge! These pieces can be oxidised corten steel; self sealed or galvanised/powder-coated mild steel and occasionally aluminium.
Featured Work
'Tangle' was made based on working with negative space more and heavy material less. As a form it speaks to the idea of a continuum of energy.
'Energy Wrap' is almost the opposite in that the energy is being pulled inwards, but hopefully without losing its flow.
'Skin Sisters' are my exploration in to retrieving discarded native wood once used for functionality. These pieces were dug out of a garden(completely buried). They are literally the skin of a puriri tree that was sliced off before using the inner wood for farm posts etc. I hope it gives the wood back some of its dignity.
Mike Crawshaw
Mike Crawshaw is a Tamaki-Makaurau/Waiheke based artist currently in his second year of a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree through Whitecliffe School of Fine Arts. Crawshaw has a Master of Arts (Hons.) degree in Political Studies, was the Premium Award winner for the 2023 Walker and Hall Art Awards and was included in this year’s (2024) Emergent Artists exhibition at Sanderson Gallery. Crawshaw has a background as a refugee decision-maker and former manager. Crawshaw works in oil and acrylic paint on board and canvas. Crawshaw’s past work has explored asymmetries of power using dissonant pairings of subjects set in modernist settings.
Featured Work:
Floating Alter - Oil paint on canvas
Visitation - Oil paint on canvas
Radiation Man - Oil paint on canvas
Augmentation - Oil paint on canvas
Nigel Scanlon
Nigel Scanlon, a prominent Māori artist from Waiheke, New Zealand, is celebrated for his sculptural carvings in stone and wood. Drawing inspiration from his Māori heritage and natural surroundings, Nigel expertly combines traditional Māori art forms with contemporary styles. His dynamic sculptures reinterpret Māori iconography, reflecting abstract expressionism and organic modernism. Nigel's mastery in carving highlights the intricate textures of stone, creating culturally and environmentally significant pieces.
Artist Statement
My creative path has allowed me to explore various media over the past 17 years. My wairua (spirit) attracts me to carving and I have found myself returning to stone sculpting above all other mediums. Through my carvings I communicate my connection with the whenua (land) and my whakapapa (geneology). This provides an artistic outlet that carries me through times of transition and vision in my life.
Nina Marie Saints
Nina Marie Saints is a 24-year-old mixed media artist of European descent, whose work explores the intersection of classical imagery and contemporary expression. Raised on Waiheke Island, Nina’s upbringing in this idyllic, coastal environment has greatly influenced her artistic journey. Surrounded by nature's raw beauty and the island’s artistic community, she developed an early fascination with form, texture, and the power of visual storytelling. Saints’ work spans various media, including sculpture, painting and digital art, often merging traditional techniques with modern concepts.
Her approach is deeply experimental, using materials like limestone, ink, and acrylic paint to challenge established ideas of beauty, identity, and permanence. By reinterpreting classical art, as seen in her piece "Venus Rising", Nina contemplates the fluidity of historical narratives and their relevance in today’s world.
As an emerging artist, Nina’s work engages with themes of femininity, mythology, and transformation, often questioning how these concepts are represented in both the past and present. Through her unique perspective and dedication to pushing boundaries, she invites viewers to reconsider the cultural symbols that shape our understanding of the human form as she continues to evolve and redefine her artistic voice.
Featured Work:
"Venus Rising"
Oamaru Limestone carving with Print Transfer, 2024
In this provocative sculptural piece, the classical beauty of The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli is reimagined through a contemporary lens. Carved from limestone, the bottom half of a female form serves as both the canvas and the subject, intricately adorned with a tattoo transfer of Botticelli’s iconic image. The delicate curves of the body are juxtaposed with the rich, flowing lines of Venus’s emergence from the sea, inviting a conversation about the intersection of classical ideals, femininity, and the transformative nature of art.
The combination of ancient stone and modern tattoo techniques challenges notions of permanence, beauty, and identity, while maintaining an intimate connection to one of the most celebrated images in Western art history. The piece both reveres and reinterprets Venus’s mythological birth, turning the body itself into a vessel for timeless beauty and cultural reinvention.
Oliver Stretton-Pow
Oliver Stretton-Pow, a master sculptor with over 40 years of experience, creates exceptional multimedia works using materials such as bronze, glass, wood, and clay. His most recent accolades include the People’s Choice Award at the 20th anniversary of Sculpture on the Gulf, curated by Robert Leonard and Brett Graham. His upcoming 40-Year Survey show will showcase a diverse range of pieces, spanning from his early creations to his most recent works.
Oliver, who holds a Master of Fine Arts from ELAM (Auckland University), has designed and built numerous interactive sculptures for public spaces, wineries, estates, and private collections. Renowned for their conceptual edge, elegance, and durability, Oliver's sculptures exemplify traditional bronze casting techniques often juxtaposed with uncanny or evocative narratives that invite his audience to interact both intellectually and physically with the works.
Featured Work:
Gauge - Steel, Copper
Specimen VII - Bronze, Pohutakawa, Steel
Sid Marsh
Sid Marsh whakapapa back to the Rift Valley, claiming direct descent from Adam and Eve. His art embodies a boots-on-the-ground, bone-up-on-your-history approach, offering a raw and authentic counterpoint to the often sanitized and poorly researched versions of New Zealand history prevalent today. Sid's work is heavily influenced by Ngā Kararehe, "The Originals," and the complex dynamics of the 50-year post-first-contact period between Pākehā and Tangata Whenua. His pieces are gritty, infused with humor and irony, challenging traditional narratives while embracing New Zealand's untold stories.
Featured Work:
No Kicking (Kakapo) - A1 watercolour
A Gulp Or Two of L’ Esperance - A1 watercolour
Dreadnought Jim comic panels x 4. A2 Indian ink
Virginia King
Born in 1946 in Kawakawa, Aotearoa, King pursued her education at Wellington Polytechnic School of Design, Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, and Chelsea Art School in London. Since the mid-1980s, she has focused on sculpture, working with diverse materials including Hinuera stone, bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, earth, and wood. Her artistic practice is deeply rooted in environmental concerns, a passion for language, and an interest in history and microorganisms. King's work evolves through a combination of gallery exhibitions and site-specific installations, with notable projects including floating sculptures and private commissions featuring ‘bridgeworks’ and walkways across swamps. One such installation, Raupo Rattler, incorporates percussive devices that create sound at a central point along the path, showcasing her innovative approach to environmental art.
Featured Work:
Lookout - 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel
Koru - Patinated Bronze
Ocean Vessel - 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel
Little Orb - Electropolished 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel
