Describing her portraits as abstract surrealist, New-Zealand based artist Kate MacKenzie’s emotive works are deeply moving and steeped in symbolism. Their faces dissolving into carefully placed passages of paint or swathes of tulle, her subjects convey a unique message that is to be pieced back together by the audience.
MacKenzie’s career has already been defined by accomplishment, with the artist repeatedly finding herself as a finalist in the New Zealand Adam Portraiture awards, as well as snagging the Supreme Winner position in the International World of Wearable Arts. Recently, she has been selected for New Zealand’s Parkin Drawing Prize, the country’s foremost prize for drawing. Alongside these accolades, her works can be found in many private collections around the world – for example, her piece Lockdown in Paradise (Jacinda) is now in the collection of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s parents.
This is understandable given the artist’s approach to the narratives she depicts. Though often engaging with subjects that can seem bleak or distressing, the artist chooses to see progress: “I am by nature a problem solver, so my work often touches on solutions rather than dwelling on the doom and gloom,” she says.
Some of her sitters wear elaborate headpieces that sport strange technologies, speaking to the sometimes overwhelming transformations of modern life and the environmental impacts this begets. Others are more internalised pieces, personifying personal strife or the effects of a troubled mind. However, each figure meets these issues with an unwavering gaze, showing a strength of character and a depth of wisdom that is capable of rebuilding in the face of these adversaries.
Her most recent series, Rise of the Tattered, which is set to be exhibited at Muse Art Gallery, Havelock North, addresses the recent disruptions caused by the pandemic. “Much work needs to be done to find a common thread, and strength for the rebuild,” says the artist, who sees a promising future. Of her portraits, “some subjects are filled with hope and new ideas – others learn to self-mend as help is scarce and new kind of resilience is emerging.”
Though appearing to be coming apart at the seams, MacKenzie’s works are an examination of human fortitude and the power of optimism in defiance of hardship. Both the artist and audience find solace in the strength of these portraits, their texture and vibrancy supporting a complex narrative of hope.
Featured image:Artist Kate MacKenzie in her studio with her works Reinvention Of The Social Fabric, 2022 (left) and The Eye Of The Wise, 2022.Photo: Florence Charvin. Courtesy: the artist.