"Music, art, our beautiful country... and driving. What could be better? Join me on a road trip of New Zealand, visiting some of our finest visual artists at home in their studios. They’ll share their favourite music with us, and I’m hoping to get to the bottom of the mystery of their art, what part music plays in it, and what makes them tick" - Charlotte Wilson.
Hannah Beehre and her dog Scout with the view over Lyttelton Photo: RNZ/Charlotte Wilson
Hannah Beehre, winner of the Parkin Prize 2016 for The Catastrophe, a magical rendition in charcoal, India ink and tea of the creatures in her back garden, somehow manages, as always, to communicate metaphors about life.
Drawing is just one of the many strings to her bow. With an abiding fascination for the natural world, especially the magical, the sublime, the monstrous, she was part of the team that brought Christchurch its most imaginative post-quake installations. Now, branching out on her own, she has become known for fantastical works that range from the Mures et Terram exhibition at CoCA to the Nebula series, inspired by the cosmos and created out of velvet, dye and Swarovski crystals.
Hannah Beehre at work in her studio Photo: RNZ/Charlotte Wilson
Described as “wondrous, captivating, magical”, the Nebula series is the latest in a professional practice that has already spanned nearly 20 years. Graduating from the University of Canterbury, Hannah immediately began to win awards including The Olivia Spencer Bower Award and the Creative NZ artist residency at Scott Base in Antarctica.
Hannah Beehre's studio Photo: RNZ/Charlotte Wilson
Her works are held in permanent collections of galleries around the world, including Te Papa, the Christchurch Art Gallery, and as far away as China.
Hannah Beehre - a work in progress Photo: RNZ/Charlotte Wilson
The astonishing thing is that she is not just an artist, she is also a musician, touring internationally with Pine and now in a new band with Gabriel Childs, Tiger Spider.
Music Details:
PAUL SIMON The Only Living Boy in New York
BECK HANSEN Heart is a Drum
FRANCIS Where is My Mind
CHILDS, BEEHRE Hooks
BEEHRE So For You
