‘Connection Songs’ – Gareth Barlow
It’s Been A Day Of Tiny Triumphs $10,500 Status: Sold
Dive Into The Moon $10,500 Status: Sold
I Don’t Know Why Sometimes I Get Frightened $5,800 Status: Sold
The Truth Is I Like My Own Company Best $10,800 Status: Sold
Better To Jump Than Hesitate $10,800 Status: Sold
When The Storm Clouds Come $5,800 Status: Sold
I’d Wait Alone Here For That Rendezvous $5,800 Status: Sold
Come On, Let’s Take A Look Outside $15,000 Status: Sold
Who Summons The Sun And Makes It Shine $5,800 Status: Sold
There Is Freedom Within $10,500 Status: Sold
Come Sweeten Every Afternoon $10,500 Status: Sold
Where Does Allegiance Lie $5,800 Status: Sold
And All Of Us Anxious $5,800 Status: Sold
A Sound That No-One Has To Hear $15,000 Status: Available
Connection Songs
Gareth Barlow
enquiries:ron@exhibitionsgallery.co.nz
Connection Songs
Gareth Barlow
My work has always been about connections. Connections to people, to land, and to culture. I attempt to traverse the relational space between Pākehā and Māori worlds while also reaching back through my Celtic and Nordic whakapapa. Expressed through a spiritual affinity with Tangata Whenua and their philosophies, this sense of connection is deepened by six generations of my family who now rest in this land.
The themes I explore are not mine alone. They are familiar to many Kiwis, and to Antipodeans more broadly. We all carry aspects of whakapapa, Māori and Pākehā alike, shaped by the places and cultures that have nurtured us. I like to think my work captures that shared energy, telling stories others may recognise and claim as their own.
Birds have always been part of my practice, and in this series, Connection Songs, they stand as symbols of identity, guardianship, and memory. Across traditions, birds are seen as messengers, kaitiaki in Māori legends, guardians and omens in Celtic lore. They are always close by, wherever we go, in the places that matter most to us, a feathered companion is never far away.
Here, I paint and draw these birds on a large scale, bringing forward their subtle details and complexities. Their natural forms reflect Māori art, the symbols and traditions I fell in love with as a child. By exploring them closely, I seek an approach to art that feels uniquely of Aotearoa, bridging cultures and celebrating shared identity.
Long before humans arrived, birds were the guardians of these islands. Some species have been lost, but many remain—adapting, enduring, and sharing their world with us. They remind us of what we can hold in common: respect for the past, reverence for the present, and hope for the future.
In this series, my use of the dot veil shifts. Where it usually blankets the entire work, with birds it thins and radiates outward, as if carrying their song, their spirit, their energy. This suggests their ease in moving between the seen and unseen, between our world and the spiritual realm.
Proud to be a Wellingtonian born in the Hutt Valley, I ground my work in reverence for Aotearoa’s natural world and cultural identity. My practice honours both Māori traditions and my own heritage, weaving together memories, philosophies, and the shared stories that shape who we are as a people, together.
I would like to acknowledge the following people for their inspiration in naming these works: Neville Hall, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Neil Finn, James Reid, JonToogood, Te Rauparaha, Andrew Fagan, Gareth Curtis, Don McGlashan, Nick Sampson, Malcolm Black.