We sat down with Gina Kiel to kōrero about the inspiration behind Tidal Bodies, balancing spontaneity with intention, nature’s influence, and the evolution of her practice.
Describe the work you are exhibiting at Twentysix. What is the show's concept?
This is my first solo show, featuring all new, original drawings and paintings. I started a free-flow drawing practice over the last year using ink brush pens, tapping into an intuitive process. I discovered a passion for creating spontaneously and I was inspired to develop a few of my favourite drawings into more refined paintings. I am interested in both spontaneous and planned processes and I will continue to explore this balance.
These works channel archetypal beings with bodies made of loose, yet dense optical patterns. Their faces, in contrast, are softly rendered, introspective, peaceful and knowing. The paintings are cyclical in pattern yet deeply integrated in archetypal character and ever-evolving in form and shape, reflecting the regenerative nature of existence.
Conceptually, the work explores how we process and alchemise life through movement and fluidity and the interplay of spontaneousness and intention while we journey through archetypal experiences.
Photos courtesy of Russel Kleyn.
Your work often explores the rhythms of both nature and the human body. How has your own evolving relationship with the body shaped your work?
I don’t usually represent nature literally, these works express the feeling of being immersed in it. They embody the aliveness of nature, represented by the optical effect that the colour vibrations and patterns radiate.
The working title Tidal Bodies relates to the cyclical nature of life and also being female. Now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve become more attuned to the cycles of my own body, which is reflected in the ocean’s rhythms and the moon phases. I live an off-grid lifestyle and I have become so much more connected to the seasons since our home is like a cyclical body and relies on nature to function.
I am also discovering that these optical patterns are very adaptive, with endless potential. They come from a direct channel of movement to medium, and can take on any shape or form. The freedom and spontaneity of that really interests me to continue developing this further.
Your work often channels something beyond yourself, yet is deeply influenced by your personal life. How have your embodied experiences of the world shaped your practice?
My previous work evolved after I got pregnant unexpectedly at age 24, a time when I felt torn between the person I was and who I had to become. I began painting female forms that were split in half—reflecting how I felt emotionally and metaphorically. I continued with this pop-art style of halved forms for several years.
As my son grew up, and I went through stages of healing and growth, that’s when the colours began emerging from the severed bodies. I’m in a different phase now, where I can integrate my experiences of motherhood with a deeper understanding of who I am. The melting, colourful shapes emerging from these divided bodies started to become their own forms and creatures as my son and I grew more into ourselves, leading to where my practice is today.
You traverse both freelance illustration and art making. How do you select which projects to take on?
I make intentional choices to ensure both illustration and art-making don’t feel separate from myself.
I’m very selective about the projects I take on. They have to align with my authentic expression of art and resonate with my values. I won’t compromise my integrity, and I regularly turn down opportunities that don’t feel right.
You’ve exhibited work in various settings, from galleries to outdoor murals, both locally and internationally. Describe the challenges of working in a variety of scales and the creative process behind your murals.
Painting both large and small have different challenges. Having parameters of size or shape can be helpful. They provide structure, like riverbanks, that help channel the work. I enjoy the variety of challenges that different mediums, tools and sizes bring.
I recently did a few murals where I intentionally avoided advance planning, the same way I approached the drawings in this show. I enjoy this intuitive process, and how painting flowing forms for a mural involves your whole body. I realised that to make sure the lines of the patterns flow smoothly together, I have been keeping my eyes unfocused, soft and looking everywhere at once. I gaze at where the brush has just been, where it is now, and where it is going, all in relation to the painted line beside it, the unpainted line that will be coming next and the empty space in between.
The mural in Tidal Bodies evolved from an experiment on my studio wall while testing out a new brush for a large mural. I covered the black paint with a few coats of white in a half attempt to cover it up and start something new, but it left a lighter blue-grey tone which I really liked. It has been there as a backdrop during the creation of all these works. So I decided to bring it into the show, as a way to connect my public art, my studio practice and this gallery space.
This show has allowed me to begin to explore how these fluid forms can shift and adapt across paper, canvas or wall.