Cobb Valley’s diverse beauty reflected in long-awaited exhibition
A long-awaited exhibition celebrating one of Golden Bay’s lesserknown jewels will finally be on display to the public, after last year’s Covid-19 lockdown meant it had to be postponed.
Ten artists, comprising seven from Golden Bay and three from Nelson, have produced a mix of bold works in a variety of media and disciplines for the biennial Cobb Artists Residency Exhibition.
The glacial Cobb Valley is a gateway to Kahurangi National Park, with the road leading up to New Zealand’s highest power station, and climbs to 1000 metres.
The exhibition water.eARTh. power is described as ‘‘10 dammed artists encounter the Cobb’’, and is running for one week from today at Po¯ hara Hall.
The artists spent five days in September 2019 at the community workers’ houses close to the reservoir, and later produced a mix of sculpture, photography, drawing, painting, ceramics and weaving.
They were also given a tour of the power station, and supplied with industrial materials to work with.
The artists said their works reflected ‘‘personal responses’’ to the raw beauty of the landscape – with its moods, changing light and cloudscapes, colours and sounds, and shapes of nature and history.
Pauline Watts said it was the ‘‘red tussock, snow-capped mountaintops and trees covered in lichen’’ that she drew inspiration from for her paintings.
Illustrator Kate Burness said her inspiration was ‘‘the contrast between the natural environment and the man-made’’ power station and dam.
‘‘I resisted the control of the manmade for a long time, because artists I think don’t like control much,’’ she said.
‘‘But then I realised that without the control, and the freedom of the water, you couldn’t produce electricity. You need both.’’
In 2013, the first Cobb Artist Residency was created by the Golden Bay Arts Council, to balance the biennial residency at Farewell Spit.
Both programmes have offered an important viewpoint on the diversity of Golden Bay, and an understanding between the human and historic impact and vulnerability to each unique location.
Golden Bay Arts Council chair Deborah Rhodes said the exhibition had been ‘‘challenged by another force’’ – Covid-19.
‘‘As a group of artists coming together . . . they have had to stick together for longer and keep collaborating until an exhibition time and location was arranged to exhibit their work.’’
Normally, Rhodes said, the Cobb Valley and Farewell Spit programmes ran annually, but with changes and challenges, circumstances warranted a new discussion by the committee.
‘‘The Farewell Spit location is no longer available, and these retreats or camps may need to reflect change with a new location.’’
She said the ‘‘authenticity of these unique experiences’’ was reflected in the current exhibition. The artists featured are Bronwynn Billens, Kate Burness, Melissa Davidson, Philly Hall, Lois Morgan, Toy Murchie, Anita Peters, Michael Potter, Lisa van der Meer and Pauline Watts.