Libby Knott, Senior Manager, Partner And Client Relationships:
‘The dotted pearls trickling amongst the abstract yet calm teal water are so delicate and beautiful in this work by Bronwyn Dann. I sense they are attempting to tell me a story as if they want to take me on a journey to another time and place, one I would be really willing to go on. There is a wonderfully subtle mirror-like effect in this painting, as though we are simultaneously looking into the stars and gazing into a deep body of water. I see the sun, the moon, the night and day here all rolled into one and time immemorial.’
Grace Alty, Curator, Artis Gallery, New Zealand:
‘The fluidity of line, accented by strings of pearls, that snake across the composition in Dann’s work, Manju: flow jewel, draws the viewer into a world unknown. It submerges them into the colonial pearling industry, hinting at untold histories and the artist’s interest in the aesthetic quality of pearl and pearl shells. With deliberate mark-making, accented by the sublime choice of colour, Dann has created a forceful work that questions how past events can shape and establish cultural identities today. She pulls the viewer into her works, taking them down into the tumbling ocean waves to explore the unknown.’