Railway Street Gallery + Studios works towards fostering emerging and established artists from within New Zealand, as well as offering a working studio space for our resident artists to extend their practice. Established in 2012, our objective has always been to create a space where artists can work collectively to share knowledge and ideas with each other and their audience. Visitors to our Auckland gallery are able to engage with the artists working in the studio, to be informed of their process and see the works progress.

Situated on Railway Street in Newmarket Auckland, the gallery features two exhibition spaces; the lower gallery focuses on a collection of small scale contemporary fine art works and editions and the upper gallery hosts a selection of solo shows from resident, represented and guest artists throughout the year.

Showcasing six artists at this year's art fair including Emma Hercus – Painter, Prue MacDougall – Printmaker, Kyla Cresswell – Printmaker, Nan Mulder – Printmaker, Catherine Macdonald – Printmaker, Kathryn Carter – Painter.

This collection of works, inspired by e.e. cummings’ poem Crepuscule, reflects the New Zealand landscape and life under the Southern Hemisphere sun. The pieces express freedom, hope, and the beauty of nature, celebrating both the present and the promise of each new day.

Artist Talks
Emma Hercus Artist Talk: Friday 2nd May, 2.30 – 3pm
Prue MacDougall & Nan Mulder Artist Talk: Sunday 4th May, 11.30 – 12pm

Emma Hercus

Emma Hercus is a New Zealand, Wellington based artist working in the field of painting.

Her work explores themes of memory and the passage of time, culture, personal history and growing up in rural New Zealand. She draws inspiration from the lives of those closest to her, her Kapiti Coast community, family and friends. Using painting as a tool to nurture and unpack, she reimagines the events, stories, and experiences of those around her. Sometimes embellishing and altering or combining elements to create a new way of seeing.

With numerous solo exhibitions nationally, her work is held in private collections around the world. Emma was the Supreme Winner of the NZ National Contemporary Art Award 2022 and the winner of the Open Award in the Pataka Art Awards 2024. She has been a finalist in the Molly Morpeth Canady Awards 2023, Craigs Aspiring Art Prize 2024/2021 and a finalist in NZ Painting and Printmaking Awards 2021.

Nan Mulder

Nan Mulder possesses a rich international background. Born in the Netherlands, she studied printmaking both there and in Poland. Here she mastered the art of mezzotints, a technique that has earned her international acclaim. Her artistic journey then took her to Scotland and Ireland, where she taught printmaking at the Art Colleges in both countries. Since September 2024 she has made New Zealand her home.

Nan’s work is intriguing and multi-layered, it contains narratives that are hinted at, rather than described. Her work often contains a mysterious presence and the familiarity of a fading dream. This can even be seen in the nature mezzotints, where she immerses herself in subtropical gardens, or enters a gateway to a new awaiting world. In her smaller prints Nan continues the joy of discovery and celebrates the unique beauty of the plants and flowers she encounters in New Zealand

Kyla Cresswell

Kyla Cresswell gained a BFA majoring in Printmaking at the Dunedin School of Art (1996). With a background including directing a Wellington works on paper gallery, art curation and tutoring, Kyla currently works from her studio in Ōtepoti Dunedin and teaches printmaking.

Kyla’s work relates back to the land—nature’s fragility, tenacity and resilience. She relishes a fine drypoint line, a subtle emboss of paper, the crispness of silverpoint and the rich depth of a mezzotint black. Her work often focuses on the overlooked, quiet places including precious remnant endemic bush and wetlands. Kyla's work asks where do we stand in this ecosystem; how do we cherish and protect it?

Kyla was the William Hodges Fellow (2022) and an Artist in Residence at the Dunedin School of Art (2024).

Kyla has exhibited widely nationally and internationally with work held in private and public collections.

Catherine Macdonald

Catherine Macdonald was born in Whanganui. She studied Fine Arts at Whanganui Regional Polytechnic and graduated in 1997 with a BFA majoring in Printmaking. Her practice has branched out to include printmaking, drawing, writing and furniture making. In 1998 she was Community Artist in Residence for the Community Arts Council Whanganui ,and she partook in residencies in 1999 at Pompallier in Russell and 2017 at The Art Vault, Mildura, Australia. She exhibits throughout New Zealand and her work is held in the public collections of the Sarjeant Gallery in New Zealand, State Library of Victoria and the Print Council of Australia and private collections in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Since 2001 Catherine has been working consistently in drypoint on aluminium, the lines that it produces are similar to drawing. These works explore the natural world and our relationship to it and our fellow inhabitants.

Kathryn Carter

‘I am drawn to the land and light , its effects on the sea and sky and how beautiful and fragile it is changing in an instant ‘

Kathryn Carter captures in her paintings the ephemeral nature of light as it shifts through the day altering space and landform. Kathryn has always been drawn to colour and this attraction is evident in her art practice. The bright crisp clear tints present on a summers day through to the moody muted shifting tones seen at dusk. Kathryn draws and paints from observation in situ, she has two studios one in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland and the other in Te tai Tokerau Northland.

She is a registered architect completing her degree at Auckland University School of Architecture where she won the Vernon Browne Memorial Prize for drawing and her painting has won national art awards. She has won first place in the Marlborough National Art Award and has been a finalist three times in the National Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award and a finalist in the Waikato Art and Waiheke Art Awards . She is currently studying an MFA 2025/6. Kathryn paints on archival paper, stretched linen and panel .

Prue MacDougall

Prue MacDougall has always been fascinated with print and the surprise that each pressing reveals. Her eclectic interest in found objects, often acquired from travel, informs and influences her subject matter choices. Through her art, she weaves stories that delve into the rich and multifaceted themes of myth, memory, and identity. Each work reflects her fascination with the layers of past and present existence, creating a dialogue between fantasy and reality.

Prue creates visual narratives that invite viewers into imagined worlds while offering glimpses into her personal journey. Her work seeks to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity, inspiring audiences to reflect on the invisible threads that connect individual and collective memories. Through meaningful detail and imaginative compositions, Prue strives to merge the intangible and tangible into recognisable, but whimsical forms.