South Canterbury Artist Rosemary Campbell Gains National Spotlight In Landmark Exhibition And Monograph

Rosemary Campbell: Undulations of Memory, opening at Aigantighe Art Gallery on Thursday April 2 at 6.30pm, is a major exhibition and publication that will bring national attention to one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most quietly influential artists.

Developed and presented by Aigantighe Art Gallery, the exhibition is accompanied by the launch of a landmark monograph, the first dedicated publication on Campbell’s life and work. Together, they represent the most comprehensive examination of her practice to date.

Spanning more than six decades, the exhibition brings together over 80 works from across Campbell’s career, offering a rare opportunity to experience the depth and continuity of her engagement with landscape, memory, and perception.

The accompanying eight-chapter publication features selected works, archival material, and new written pieces from leading art historians and writers from across the country, including Elizabeth Caldwell ONZM, Dr Peter Simpson, Gay Buckingham, Dr Andrew Paul Wood, and the late Benjamin Curnow. The monograph has been edited by Aigantighe Art Gallery’s exhibitions curator Izzy Hillman, who has also contributed several chapters.

Hillman says the project seeks to reposition Campbell’s work within a broader national context.

“Rosemary Campbell’s practice represents a sustained and deeply considered engagement with place, memory, and perception,” Hillman says.

“For too long, artists working outside major urban centres have been positioned at the margins. This exhibition and publication seek to reframe that narrative and recognise the significance of regional practice within Aotearoa’s art history.”

Working primarily from South Canterbury, Campbell has developed a distinctive visual language that moves beyond representation to evoke the emotional and atmospheric qualities of landscape. Her paintings are characterised by subtle tonal modulation, spatial rhythm, and a sensitivity to the interplay between memory and environment.

The exhibition title, Undulations of Memory, reflects the rhythmic and cyclical qualities of Campbell’s practice.

Hillman says the title speaks directly to the way Campbell’s work moves through time and place.

“The phrase Undulations of Memory reflects the way Campbell’s paintings operate, not in a linear progression, but in waves of recollection and return,” she says.

“Her work traces emotional and atmospheric contours as much as geographic ones, shaped by a quiet persistence of place and the layered textures of experience.”

Aigantighe director Cara Fitzgerald says the exhibition reflects the gallery’s commitment to presenting projects of both regional depth and national relevance.

“This exhibition and publication demonstrate the depth of artistic practice that exists within our region and its contribution to Aotearoa’s wider cultural landscape,” Fitzgerald says.

“Rosemary Campbell’s influence extends far beyond her own work. Through her teaching and mentorship, she has shaped generations of artists across Canterbury, and we are proud to support a project that recognises that enduring legacy on a national stage.”

The opening event will also feature a musical element, with musicians from the University of Canterbury School of Music performing Seven Interpretations of Rosemary Campbell by composer Dorothy Buchanan, a work inspired directly by Campbell’s paintings.

The exhibition and publication together offer a major reassessment of Campbell’s contribution, positioning her practice within both regional and national narratives, and making a compelling case for the recognition of artists working beyond metropolitan centres.

Exhibition details:

Rosemary Campbell: Undulations of Memory: 2 April – 19 July
Opening and book launch: 2 April, 6.30pm, Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru

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