The work:Rebecca King, Crossover, 2022. Fine art photographic giclee print, ed. of 3, 30 x 30cm. NZ $1,199.Courtesy: the artist
“To me, nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, not subject to fads and trends; it has a timeless beauty,” says New Zealand-based artist Rebecca King of her favourite subject, a sentiment embodied by her work Crossover. Originally a painter before transitioning into photography, King uses an amalgam of both mediums to capture the delicate grace of her subject. Five pale blossoms emerge from the darkness, their fine petals projecting out and lit with an intense glow. However not all is as it seems. Upon closer inspection, one can determine a shift between reality and simulacrum, the artist having photographed her sketches of the flowers and combined them into one image. At the core of her practice King seeks to use photography and the manipulation of light to effectively paint with a camera. “I want to show where real and imagined collide,” she says, and in doing so she elevates her subject to something otherworldly. In the hands of King this collection of blooms tell a story, both of the power of her chosen medium, and of the endless potential of the natural world to impress and beguile their audience.