Juliet Peter

Juliet Peter’s Morepork and Pungas depicts a ruru, or morepork, set within dense bush and branching punga, the tree fern’s open forms creating a bold structural field of camouflage-like patterning and texture. The bird’s wide eyes and a cloud-streaked full moon suggest alertness and stillness held in balance. First shown at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts exhibition in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in 1965, the work reflects Peter’s close observation of the Ngaio bush around her studio and her mid-century printmaking practice.

(Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu 15 August 2026 – 8 February 2027)