11/06/2026
Dunedin based artist Kyla Cresswell's stunning new body of work, 'These quiet places', is currently on display in the gallery. We highly recommend taking the time to view this remarkable exhibition.
Celebrating natural spaces on the periphery, this body of work explores quiet unassuming places within our environment—a wetland on the edge of an estuary,
a tangle of remnant bush, the small plants in a salt marsh.
These works seek to draw our attention to even the smallest part of the
ecosystem, contemplating the importance of the health and interconnectedness of
waterways.
Kyla employs the silverpoint technique to depict wetland oioi plants, drawing onto
prepared boards with 99.9% pure silver. Chosen for its fine, delicate line, the
medium conveys a sense of value and care toward these plants and their habitats
at a time when the environment is under pressure.
The drypoints in this exhibition feature a combination of fine, deliberate mark
making—as in the wetland works, and a more lively exploration of line in the
bushwalk series—recalling the twists of muehlenbeckia and supplejack vines in
southern native bush.
The most recent work, based on the jewel-like glassworts found on salt marshes
near Kyla’s Ōtepoti home, feature hand painted watercolour elements.
A Fine Art graduate of the Dunedin School of Art, Kyla was taught by Marilynn
Webb and Chris de Jong and has pursued her passion for printmaking ever since.
All works in the show were hand inked and printed on an etching press by the
artist.
