Cat Fooks: 'Luff' at The Arts House

Overview

New Zealand's tumultuous weather was a hot topic of conversation in 2023, so much so that Kiwi artist Cat Fooks dedicated a whole art exhibition to it, which is now showing at The Arts House in the Pah Homestead.

Fooks' exhibition Luff is a collection of meticulously curated sculptures, paintings and ceramics that she hopes will reflect how important weather is to us. This doesn't just mean the decision-making process of whether or not you should take an umbrella to work, but how the sun, rain and wind impacts your emotions overall.

Every room throughout the exhibition represents a season, but the section won't be labelled, leaving it up to the viewer to decide when they feel like summer has turned into autumn. This feeling is created through Fooks' use of bright, fresh colours, woven between seasonal shapes, such as spiky branches or crispy leaves.

Although the name Luff may feel kind of cute, the exhibition's name is a bit more on the sinister side. This word is used to describe the moment a sail starts flapping in the wind, often a sign that you're sailing towards dangerous waters.

A wide range of Kiwi artists' works appear throughout, including pieces from up-and-comers Naomi Allen and Finn Ferrier. Fooks also trawled through The Arts House collection of masterpieces, which contains 8000 pieces of sculptures and paintings that will be shown to the public for the first time.

The exhibition is on now and will run until Sunday, March 3.