Scott Gardiner, Future Fiction (pthalo, prussian, manganese), 2020. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 167.5cm x 138cm. Courtesy: the artist and Sanderson Contemporary Art Gallery, Auckland.

In 1975, the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined the expression “the flow”. Call it “the zone” or “mindfulness”, but essentially it is that moment of total, effortless, immersive concentration and energised joy in an activity. Two groups of people who often speak of this mental state are surfers and artists, with a surprising amount of overlap in communities by the sea. Scott Gardiner, also born in 1975, is a surfer who paints, or a painter who surfs, and the two are inexorably entwined in his love of the sea.

The gallery is open and practicing COVID-19 social distancing measures. The exhibition can also be viewed online. View the exhibition here.

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