Born in Wellington, Viky Garden now lives in Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Tutored by Vivian Lynn, Garden has a consistent and focused body of work dating back 35 years. Almost exclusively using herself as the subject, she explores themes of impermanence, self-image, introspection and the female experience.
A finalist in the NZ Adam Portraiture Award in 1992, 2014 and 2016, the Parkin Drawing Award 2018 and 2019, the Aesthetica Creative Works Award UK in 2011 and winner of international awards for her pinhole photography in Barcelona, Spain, 2018 and 2020, her work is held in private collections in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Canada, USA and Europe and in the permanent collection of Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland Museum, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Garden explains the sculptures, prints and paintings included in New Studio Work:
The Sisterhood Sculptures (2024) – “A group of four sculptures borne of my 1996 Sisters of Mercy paintings. Utilising a wire maquette with a hydrostone/plaster mix, the ‘sisterhood’ was sculpted as a more hands-on way of creating and playing with a figurative narrative. There is a sense of predetermination about what their role actually is. Without hands or feet, however, the Sisterhood, a static grouping of female warriors, are going nowhere fast.”
The Dementia Pear (2023) – “A suite of 40 individual hand-rubbed intaglio prints documenting my mum’s struggle with dementia. The anger, turmoil, vulnerability, ephemeral beauty and poignancy of her journey and our loss – themes of impermanence and change that I continue to study and document in my art practice.”
New Paintings (2023/24) – ”The ‘rabbit’ paintings are my response to a world in crisis – sparse, airless landscapes and skies which I continued to use in The Broccoli Tree. The Memory Chair was painted after completing The Dementia Pear suite of intaglio prints. It is a painting of contemplation of this uncharted journey.”