Sally Smith - Sculpture On The Gulf

Sally Smith Kākano – Seed, 2019

Bronze, stainless steel base, 460 x 120 x 2700 mm. Edition 1/3

Today many of the kauri tree populations of mainland Auckland, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel ranges are infected with kauri dieback, a water mould that kills these magnificent trees and a disease for which there is no cure. Within this triangle of infected specimens sits Waiheke Island with its population of uninfected kauri. Pockets of isolated kauri such as those on Waiheke, free of infection, will be essential in ensuring the survival of the kauri as a solution is sought for the disease, as kauri seeds do not store successfully for long periods.

This piece seeks to remind the viewer of the potential that they play in ensuring that the Waiheke kauri tree survives. The deadly spores of this mould are carried from place to place on footwear. Please take care to clean your shoes. A seed has so much potential, but only if it is given the chance to germinate and grow, and we can all play a role in ensuring that occurs.

Sally Smith

Born Auckland. Lives and works on Waiheke Island.

Sally Smith’s preferred medium is bronze, and her work is instantly recognisable through her attention to detail and subtle abstraction that draws attention to the underlying patterns in our natural world. Her work celebrates the flora and fauna of New Zealand in all its strength and fragility and aims to provoke thought about how we must value these things for generations to come. Graduating from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Architecture, Smith developed her own architectural practice for over twenty years before deciding to completely dedicate her career to art and design. Recent years have seen her developing her wall installations primarily working in bronze and aluminium. These works explore the space around and through them as much as the material artwork itself. She exhibits regularly in New Zealand and in the United States where she is represented by Eisenhauer Gallery, Marthas Vineyard and Vickers Collection, Aspen.