2023
Cyanotype ferns on Italian Habotai Silk, pine dowel
1090mm (H) x 590mm (W) x 20mm (D)
Illustrating our tendency to simultaneously glorify and destroy the natural world. In English folklore surrounding maidenhair ferns, it is said someone is still a virgin if they can hold a stem without the leaves shaking. Using the 1800s photographic process of Cyanotype, referencing the work of early botanist Anna Atkins, the artist reflects on the fragility of indigenous forest, by capturing picked ferns on sheer, floaty silk.
Hannah Rose Arnold's photographs document the physical and social landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand with gentle nostalgia. She treats her subjects with a sense of curiosity and grace, born of a transient nature.
Arnold's ongoing practice draws links between the physical and psychological spaces in which we dwell - exploring themes of faith, trauma, redemption and sense of place, through a variety of mediums. Arnold is interested in storytelling, folklore and the complex social and environmental histories of this land. Her work is informed by colonial history, a rambling upbringing and a deep concern for, and connection with, the environment.