Believe - Kōwhai Residency - Jenna Eriksen

Auckland Festival of Photography presents an exclusive showcase by New Zealand artist, Jenna Eriksen as part of the 2024 Festival theme Believe [whakapono].

During her residency in Tokyo, Japan in late 2023, Jenna was drawn to the national flower of Japan, the Chrysanthemum. Following a series of serendipitous encounters and visits to Yushima Tenmangū shrine, she set about capturing the spirits that live in each bloom, with brilliant colours, and post production techniques to create these strong, bold flowers, with powerful meaning and spiritual connection.

Jenna shared this "Throughout the residency, I have discovered the delight of Kiku Matsuri, a dedicated autumn festival to the Chrysanthemum flower, Japan's national flower. My imagination started to spark seeing all these incredible live species and the awe-inspiring scale of thousands of blooms."

The meaning behind this series of works by New Zealand Artist Jenna Eriksen comes together to form a vision of a Kami - god like deity offering towards the appreciation of the chrysanthemum flower.

Works included 'Kiku Kazan' and 'Kiku No Kami' created in Japan.

Jenna Eriksen is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Eriksen’s practice and sensibilities incorporate multiple creative modalities to form rich cinematic scenes across the medium of still images, video art and films. Exploring depictions of tragedy, destruction and rebirth, Jenna is fascinated with landscape photography, creating poetic imagery with a reflective perspective. Eriksen’s work attempts to capture photographic memory, the embodiment of vulnerability, the act of succumbing to external forces. With a painterly style and the use of large scale canvases Jenna’s work investigates trauma and relationship to space - to extended portholes we might recognise within ourselves.

The Kōwhai Residency supports travel to Japan for the selected artist, self-contained accommodation in Yōga, Tokyo and a weekly stipend so they can fully immerse in their project. They also have the opportunity to meet Japanese artists and educators to further absorb the knowledge from working artists’ lives in Tokyo. The Kōwhai Residency is an excellent opportunity for a comprehensive learning experience in a large, vibrant, multi-cultural city.

Presentation on outdoor lightboxes, thanks to Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate.