RENE JANSEN
Sculptor

HOW WERE YOU FIRST INTRODUCED TO THIS TYPE OF WORK AND WHAT DID YOU ENJOY ABOUT YOUR EARLY EXPLORATION OF IT?

I was working at Corbans Art centre and did mostly abstract painting when I realised that I was more interested in producing sculptural works that could hang on walls – so called relief sculptures. I began discovering all sorts of materials and figuring out how they could be assembled in ingenious unexpected ways.

HOW HAS YOUR WORK CHANGED AND DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS? WHAT FACTORS DO YOU THINK AFFECTED THIS?

My work has developed in such a way that it feels consistent but with plenty of opportunity to explore and reasses new avenues.

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHERE YOU WORK FROM? WHAT DO YOU FIND SPECIAL ABOUT LIVING OUT WEST?

I work from a large orchard packing shed that I have converted into studio, workshop and living space. It’s rural at the foothills of the Waitakeres. There is a sense of stillness that is conducive to producing art.

WHAT CAN VISITORS EXPECT TO SEE WHEN THEY POP BY YOUR STUDIO DURING OPEN STUDIOS WAITAKERE?

An unexpected twist by having an old packing shed in a rural setting that has been transformed to showcase sculpture of a contemporary nature.

Map Number: 29
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Photography by Sarah Allen