Ethereal figures glow and hum with energy, their facial expressions fluctuating between contemplative contentment and piercing focus. They mirror each another, growing, bud-like, like the leaves on a vine or the round seeds in a kowhai pod dancing in the wind.

For the last 3 years Maisie Chilton has been living in an off-grid residence in the bush located in the hills surrounding Wainuiomata. Boasting views of untouched landscapes framed with wild pines and native bush is heavenly and enriching but equally open to the extremities of wild weather. Similarly, the experience of becoming a parent opens the door to a complex transition between identities of the self: we must farewell parts of who we used to be to make space for who we could become.

Chilton’s work speaks to the sacredness of connection, with others but importantly: with ourselves. Change and growth are a constant of the Human experience and are sites of conflicting emotions both hauntingly beautiful and strikingly painful.

Artist's Instagram: @moomologist