Image: courtesy the gallery.

Rosa Allison (b. 1993, Ōtautahi Christchurch) is a Te Whanganui-a-Tara based artist and gardener.

Allison draws inspiration from those forms, patterns, and structures she observes in nature, lyrically transposing them onto the canvas. Her vibrant abstract works recall female modernist painters including Georgia O’Keeffe, Hilma af Klint, and Agnes Pelton. She is interested in the influences of lunar cycles upon physiological health and fertility as well as astrophysical impacts upon ecosystems, and the planting and harvesting of crops.

Allison has created a local witch’s garden, planting healing, poisonous, and magical plants, and has recently been privileged to spend time learning about Rongoā Māori – the traditional Māori healing system that uses indigenous plants to promote health and wellbeing.

Allison studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts in Christchurch and later gained a Masters in Painting from the Royal College of Art in London. Allison has exhibited internationally and was shortlisted for the Beers Contemporary Award for Emerging Art in 2019. She returned to Aotearoa in 2020. Recent exhibitions include The Secret Life of Plants at Melanie Roger Gallery, BUNCH at Page Galleries, Howling at drive-thru, The Witches Herbarium at Chambers Gallery, and Journey to Kilbirnie at Toi Pōneke.

Poet and painter Rebecca Hawkes has penned a beautifully fecund text to accompany the exhibition.