Open Doors at Pixel Ink

 

"Open Doors" is an exhibition of new works by residing Wellington based artist Whitney Rae Palmer featuring a series of café themed oil paintings.

The exhibition opens with a preview on Wednesday 4 February 5.30pm at Pixel Ink Gallery.

The title chosen for this exhibition, "Open Doors", is a metaphorical theme investigating the concepts surrounding one’s relationship to the outside world. It seeks to discuss how we internalise the external, and externalise the internal, through doors seen and unseen, realised and unconscious. 

 “The nature of the cafés depicted and referred to in the subject content of the paintings could be referred to as ‘open doors’,” says Palmer whose paintings feature iconic Wellington cafés like Peoples Coffee in Newtown.

Essentially, a door is a place of opening and closing, that which allows us to let something in, or to block something out. The nature of the cafés depicted and referred to in the subject content of these paintings could be referred to as "open doors"; places where an attitude of acceptance, openness, welcoming, humility, community, and foundational aspects of humanity are virtually part of the atmosphere. 

 Pixel Ink Gallery director, Rosalind Clark said the artist has managed to uniquely capture key fixtures and elements in a loosely expressive style.

 “It is likely that people will have a personal relationship with these paintings.”

According to Rosalind Clark of Pixel Ink, the viewer is invited to look into the paintings to formulate their own perceptions and concepts, of which may be attached to experiences of their own at these places, or to branch off into other realisations stemming from the general concept of doors. 

Clark also said the artist’s story and feelings exposed in some of the paintings are deeply personal, with her own internal reference and meaning.

"However, the paintings are not limited to her vantage points alone. In this way, they are "open doors" for a viewer to manifest their own interpretations. A lack of strictly literal representation and definition in the works allows opening to occur visually and hold the potential of reaching the viewer through emotive, energetic, playful, and imaginative qualities", She said 

This aspect of the artist’s work differs from her previous works, which were more closed expressively and interpretively. 

"Open Doors" runs from 4 - 15 February at Pixel Ink Gallery, 12 Constable Street, Newtown, Wellington.