One of the most talented printmakers of her generation, Adele Younghusband excelled with the linocut. She was based in Australia between 1937 and 1940 where she worked alongside leading Australian modernist artists of the day, including George Bell. It was here that she was introduced to modern art concepts such as abstraction and surrealism. In 1941 the pioneering progressive nature of her work was singled out in Art in New Zealand where it was noted that artists such as Adele where crucial to a new modern aesthetic consciousness.

Ink on Paper: Aotearoa New Zealand Printmakers of the Modern Era, 11 February – 28 May 2023

Presented like a trophy for our enjoyment and inspection, the tin butterfly trapped in this large glass jar suggests the ephemerality of attraction; what was once natural, captivating and beautiful soon begins to fade when deprived of its freedom. Above it, in a panel painted with shimmering blue eye shadow, another kind of beauty – synthetic and superficial, but perhaps equally seductive – is preserved .