Works in Show
To be Updated After the Opening Ceremony
Artist Biography
Katie Blundell is a contemporary multimedia artist and teacher based in Tauranga, New
Zealand. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts (2003), where she
majored in printmaking, and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching (2005). Blundell’s practice explores the human experience through work that is both deeply personal
and widely relatable. Influenced by Abstract Expressionism and Carl Jung’s concept of the
“collective unconscious,” her art examines identity, emotion, and the psychological
undercurrents that connect individuals.
Portraiture plays a significant role in her practice. Rather than focusing on strict likeness,
Blundell’s portraits seek to capture an essence—layering mark-making, texture, and
abstraction to evoke mood, memory, and the complexity of the subject’s. Her approach often
blurs the boundary between representation and abstraction.
Process is central to her work across all media. In recent years, she has developed a
distinctive approach that merges printmaking and painting, resulting in “relief
paintings”—unique, one-off carved works that emphasize texture, depth, and materiality.
Her work has been recognized in several major art awards. She was a finalist in the Wallace
Art Awards (2019), the Walker & Hall Art Awards (2021), the New Zealand Painting and
Printmaking Awards (2023), and the Adam Portraiture Award (2022 and 2026).
Alongside her studio practice, Blundell is committed to contributing to her community
through teaching, encouraging creativity and artistic confidence in others.
Artist Statement
My Women At Work series grew out of a desire to learn—by asking questions. I had the
privilege of interviewing and painting portraits of many women artists I deeply admire. Those
conversations have stayed with me, and I hope the paintings honour their leadership while
inspiring others to be bold.
In this exhibition, I present my relief painting Linda Tyler – Knowledge Mobilisation. The
work captures her mid-conversation, as we discuss art. Surrounded by her books, she is
depicted within a space that reflects her vast personal library of ideas and experience. She is
one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met.
I’m profoundly grateful for what I’ve learned from her over the years—especially her
generosity in sharing knowledge, her commitment to community, and the way she empowers
others.
Jaqueline Fahey - Brave by Katie Blundell
Katie Blundell
Multi Media Artist
