Nurture
Alice Toomer and Benjamin Cotter Dephoff
13 June – 5 July 2025
Nurture brings together the work of Alice Toomer and Benjamin Cotter Dephoff, two artists who share a deep appreciation for nature, connection and food. Their photorealistic paintings line the gallery with moments of community, abundance and the familiarity of domestic spaces—an offering of what it means to give and receive care.
Both artists dedicate their brush to light, texture and precise form—Cotter looking outward to the warmth of a shared fire, or the last steps before the hut after a day's hike. A small frame of the otherwise vast landscape beyond. Toomer however, places a nail in the crack of inner domestic life. Poking at the ironies of conventionally feminine ways of nurturing, while simultaneously enjoying them. Mundane moments captured amongst pink ceramic, her reflection in the bathroom tap, while pale tea made for nana balances on its saucer.
The two artists ask gently, with the lull of Aotearoa’s bush and a quiet home in the background—what rituals are embraced by us versus expected of us? How can we let nature hold us and sustain us a little longer? Each canvas a breath of pause, a calm still before pace kicks back in and the everyday begins again.
INSTALLATION VIEWS
ARTWORKS
THE ARTISTs
Benjamin Cotter Dephoff is an oil painter whose practice captures the unique tramping culture present in Aotearoa. His work draws heavily from personal experiences in the bush, casting a romantic lens over familiar scenes—a fleeting view, a DOC hut, or the soft light filtering through native trees.
Close to photorealistic yet influenced by early impressionism, his paintings balance detail with atmosphere, aiming to evoke the calmness, clarity, and reflection that tramping offers. Ben is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and holds a Bachelor of Design with Honours.
Alice Toomer paints with a sharp and decisive stroke, each canvas composed with care and an attentive cinematic quality. Her skill only seconded to the gentle dedication she spends on each of her subjects.
Placing a nail in the crack of inner domestic life. Poking at the ironies of conventionally feminine ways of nurturing, while simultaneously enjoying them. Living and working between Wellington and London, Toomer captures mundane moments amongst pink ceramic, with her reflection in the bathroom tap - pale tea made for nana balancing on a saucer nearby. Quiet, intimate scenes that suspend the rhythms of home, the pantry and our dinner tables all with a rich colour palette and a custom black walnut frame.