Thorp Gallery

Thorp Gallery is an artist-run gallery located on Simeon Quay focussing on sharing local talent with the community.

Thorp Gallery operates out of the front rooms of the house, and they love sharing their passion for art with their community.

Current show, Banks Florelegium, by resident artist Scott Thorp is on display for the Lyttelton Arts festival, featuring photographic and sculptural works exploring the patterns, textures and character of our native flora. Bank’s Florilegium was an unpublished collection of specimens, illustrations and writings on flora from around New Zealand and the Pacific by botanist Joseph Banks.

This exhibition of photography and objects by Scott Thorp offers a contemporary response to this historical document. The photographic works isolate the biological systems and character of our flora. Contrastingly, sculptural ‘artifacts’ within the gallery represent historical changes to the relationship between people and nature.

Within this series there exists a tension between the verdant growth portrayed in the photography and the ongoing damage to nature symbolised by the found objects. As a country we have a shared legacy of discovery, beauty, and destruction. This exhibition suggests that we have a duty to acknowledge and engage these elements through the complex processes of reconciliation and regeneration.

32 Simeon Quay, Lyttelton.
Look out for the open flag on the corner of Cunningham Terrace.
Open Fridays 1pm-6pm,
Saturdays from 9am-1pm, and by appointment.
Please email s.thorp.photography@gmail.com to arrange a visit outside these hours!