| The surfaces of Maryrose Crook’s seven luminous oil canvases alternate between an inky blackness and flashes of brilliance as bright as the jewels depicted in some of them. Jewellery, insects pulling jewels, moths and other insects are oftentimes positioned next to motifs which reoccur in her work such as the pink and white terraces encased within a stylized comet, the kokako (bird) and Sophia Hinerangi who was a famous guide at the pink and white terraces. Such reoccurring motifs act as markers of meaning, coded signifiers which interact to tell a story, much in the same way that the lyrics of a song build to convey meaning or narrative.Central to Crook's work is the theme of departure and blessings for this intended departure which can be discerned in such iconography as the all-seeing eye, sailing ships, disembodied hands and feet and aforementioned motifs such as the pink and white terraces which no longer exist and the kokako which has recently been declared extinct. Crook has exhibited throughout New Zealand and was the recipient of the prestigious Wallace Art Award in 2006. She is also a musician and has gained international recognition as a vital and founding member of the band, The Renderers. |
