Love of art takes small-town Kiwi on new adventure
From Hokitika to Auckland and now to London, Kiwi Holly Schroder is on the move in pursuit of her love of art.
For as long as the 25-year-old artist can remember, she has had an urge to be creative.
Growing up in small-town Hokitika on the West Coast, Schroder was surrounded by art.
Her parents had a glassblowing studio and her family friends ran an art club.
‘‘I was privileged to have space to be creative in these early years, which is what fostered my interest in the arts,’’ Schroder said.
Schroder found growing up in a rural New Zealand town had its pros and cons.
She enjoyed the peace and simplicity of Hokitika, but craved the vibrancy and diversity of a big city.
In 2015 she moved to Auckland to pursue her love of creativity and attend art school.
‘‘When I moved to Auckland, I could see so many different opportunities that were aligned with what I was interested in. Because of this, I felt really compelled to put everything into my work,’’ she said.
Schroder has a day job working at art auction house Art+Object.
‘‘I’ve been so privileged to be able to be surrounded by artworks by New Zealand’s greatest artists on a daily basis,’’ she said. In 2020, Schroder founded London Street Art Club, where they run weekly art-making workshops at collaborative workspace Textile Lofts in Auckland.
The workshops range from life drawing and drawing exercises to exploring different painting mediums, all while participants sip on a glass of wine or gin. One of her favourite projects and a real ‘pinch me’ moment for Schroder was having her light installation work Emerging Fabrications on show at Art Week Auckland in 2019.
‘‘I was privileged to work with one of the top light artists in the country, Angus Muir, who helped bring the idea to life. The scale of the work and combination of movement, light and sound created a fully immersive experience,’’ she said.
That’s what Schroder says she has always aimed to do with her artwork – create an experience for people.
‘‘When people are totally immersed in the experience they become present in the moment, which is a beautiful feeling.’’
Schroder’s artwork is created through a layering process – mixing and merging subjects together.
‘‘I’m interested in sensation and experience, exploring how the mind responds to different stimuli or attempts to make sense of things. I want to pull the viewer in at points, skew the perspective, manipulate subjects and create a push and pull in the work,’’ she said.
Schroder is off to London next month, where she is looking forward to experiencing a new culture and making art.