SHE IS APPLES
Emma Hercus highlights the strength and everyday spirit of the women of Aotearoa. Her paintings draw on small moments that hold meaning - like appreciating the intricate patterns of a moth, the rush of spring rain, or the bonds of friendship and family. The figures feel familiar, like people we might know or remember from our own lives. With a folkloric naivety and dreamlike quality, Hercus uses layers of pigments and bold brushstrokes to build scenes that read as fragments of memory - quiet tales that many of us can recognise.
She Is Apples by Claudia Munro-Boga
"There is a beating beneath the soil that happens when a group of women gather. Gathered to celebrate, to dance, to work tirelessly, to create, to fall apart and then build back up again. Emma Hercus’ ‘She is Apples’ holds each of these women up close to her frame. Laid upon grass. A cigarette hung from her red lips. A horse stood beside her while she climbs an apple tree. Each square, a world of the woman’s own. Each square a connecting piece to the patchwork of lineage that Hercus’ pays tribute to in this body of work.
To the women who raised us, to their sustaining force that runs as a vein through each canvas and textured stroke of vivid colour. Yellow tones wash over bright faces - Hercus’ characteristic naïve style following each portrait. A kindness in their blushed cheeks, a playfulness in their wide almond eyes. The Hawkes Bay standing behind them, a background of wispy green punga trees and flax, an apple tree never far away. A reflection of moments from those who turn to face the sun, warming their skin beneath higher heat. ‘She is Apples’ is a dedication to those who speak fiercely, with vitality and resilience, but who never forget to sing at the end of the sentence."