April 7th 2024
from out of the blue studio gallery is delighted to be able to introduce Birgit Moffatt to the upcoming travellers who will be workshopping at the studio gallery. These visitors have chosen to learn about New Zealand through the lens of fibre experiences under the guidance of Rowan Tree Travel. We are excitedly preparing to host each group over two days where they will be led in distinctively Kiwi fibre workshops and experiences. Birgit is one of the three workshop leaders who will inspire a love of our land and our fibre arts deep within these voyagers.
Birgit Moffatt hails from Otaki where she has laid her roots into the ground forming a New Zealand family after her migration from East Germany.
Birgitt has had an ongoing association with from out of the blue studio gallery since her first work was hung as part of the Curated exhibition Dreaming of The Future that was open to New Zealand members of The Surface Design Association, in January and February of 2021. In that exhibition she displayed how connected she is to the natural environment around her life, where her world is centered in a bush and forestry block close to the ocean. These environments are strongly influential in her portfolio of works and over the years have become her materials source as well as her inspiration.
One of these preferred materials is the native Pingao which she uses as a sculptural material as in this more recent work – Stranded Between Land and Sea II.
Birgit’s Solo exhibition at our gallery was a richly diverse exploration of how the natural materials she harvested from her surrounding environment could be elevated through manipulation and working primarily with stitch into ephemeral but enduring sculptural works. The title of the exhibition was Dialogue with Papatūānuku. This is a slide show of some of the images from the exhibition but for a more detailed description please check out this linkhttps://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/dialogue-with-papatuanuku-solo-exhibition-of-birgit-moffatt-18th-february-26th-march-2021/
Birgit has updated her Bio and her CV which are included below.
Artist Bio
There are many ways to connect – in my work the physicality of the making brings me into the dialogue with the world.
Born in 1975 in East Berlin, I entered the world of art after I immigrated to Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2011. During my art studies at Whitireia Polytech in Porirua, I have explored a wide range of media and found my passion in the art of natural fibres and processes. I graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in textiles. At the same time, I was taught traditional raranga/weaving harakeke by my husband and later by the Wānanga o Aotearoa.
I currently work full-time from my studio in the Ōtaki Gorge, where I also hold workshops on a regular basis. Living in a rural environment on the footsteps of the Tararua Ranges, I have built my art practice around creating work that is rooted in the natural world often using foraged elements from the ngahere such as bark, leaves, sticks, seedpods and vines. In my studio I transform them into sculptural objects through traditional and contemporary weaving techniques. It is important to me to approach my work in a mindful and respectful way, choosing materials and processes that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Over the years, harakeke (NZ flax) has become one of my favourite resources for creating sculptural form.
Being exposed to te Ao Māori and Matauranga Māori through my whānau connections and my journey in raranga harakeke and learning te Reo Māori, I have developed a basic understanding for Māori culture and their beliefs and values.
Sometimes I create works that are of an ephemeral nature, as a practice of mindful awareness of the environment in which they are made, focusing on the process rather than the result. These works are only captured in my photographs.
I have an interest in art installations, especially when they involve engagement from the community. My third-year project at Whitireia was a community project (‘The Leaf Stitch Project’) which resulted in a public art installation at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae. In 2018 I facilitated a community project (‘Felting a Rainbow’) with the purpose to bridge age groups in the community. This year my installation ‘Still Standing Tall ?’ has travelled from the Waikanae Reserve to the Kaipara Sculpture Gardens addressing forest dieback in New Zealand.
I am currently exploring geometric patterns in sculptural form, and their purpose in nature and their meaning to me personally. Born and living for 35 years in Berlin, where straight lines and structures dominate, in contrast to 13 years of farm life in rural Ōtaki.
Through my work I aim to convey ideas of identity, place, belonging and self-discovery: peeling back my layers to reveal my true nature and finding my place in Aotearoa.
Artistic CV
Education/Training
2022
2018
2013 – 2016
Exhibitions
National Diploma Te Reo Māori (Level 6) Diploma in Māori Arts (Raranga)
Bachelor of Applied Arts (Visual Arts and Design)
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Still Standing Tall, Kaipara Sculpure Garden
2023 Shifting Perspective, Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre
2022 Whai Hua, Schmid Gallery, Martinborough
2022 Safe Space, Mahara Iti, Waikanae
2021 Safe Space, Whirinaki Whare Taonga, Upper Hutt
2021 In Dialogue with Papatūānuku, From out of the blue Gallery, Ōpunake 2020 Ko Papatūānuku e takoto ake nei, Hastings City Art Gallery, Hastings
Group Exhibitions (selected from the last 5 years)
2024 Finalist R.T Nelson Sculpture Award, Wellington
2023 Mahara Arts Review, Toi Mahara, Waikanae
2022 Regional Arts Review, Whare Taonga, Upper Hutt.,Wellington
2022 Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Award, Whakatāne, New Zealand.
2022 Changing Threads, Nelson, New Zealand
2021 Small Sculpture Prize, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Waiheke Island, New Zealand. 2020 Regional Arts Review, Expressions Whirinaki, Upper Hutt, New Zealand.
Awards,Grants & Residencies
2023 Merit Award, RT Nelson Sculpture Award, Wellington, New Zealand
2022 Merit Award, Molly Morpeth Canaday, Whakatāne, New Zealand
2022 Merit Award, Small Sculpture Prize, Waiheke Community Arts Gallery, Waiheke Island 2021 Artist in Residency, From Out Of the Blue Gallery, Ōpunake, New Zealand
2018 Vibrant Communities Grand, Horowhenua District Council
2016 Best in Show, Toast Graduate Exhibition, Pātaka, Porirua, New Zealand
2016 Whitireia Foundation Scholarship
There are more details about Birgit and her art practice including regular updates on her website: