Responses in Wood presents a solo exhibition by local artist Jan Ubels, who explores the creative possibilities and stories held within timber.
Jan Ubels brings a distinct and personal perspective in Responses in Wood - his first solo exhibition in Taupō.
Ubels, who has a background in set design and building for opera, describes himself as “a compulsive maker”, creating everything from fairy houses to large-scale sculptural works.
His pieces are built through layered processes - cut, carved, painted, and assembled - responding directly to the material.
“I think my work has to have some critical integrity to it, about responding to the wood and developing the material,” he says.
A new work will form a centrepiece of the exhibition. Visitors can get a preview before stepping inside the museum, with a selection of works already installed along the Wairakei Drive fenceline.
“When the Ukraine-Russia war happened, I was inspired to create a set of refugees on fragments of plywood,” Ubels says. “I've created another set that will be striking against the back wall of the Niven Gallery.”
Responses in Wood will be on display at Taupō Museum from 8 August to 21 September.
