Beautiful Destruction

Nate Oakley

March 17 - April 14 2024

Beautiful Destruction is a photographic exploration, delving into the invasive plant species within the Wellington region, juxtaposing the aesthetic beauty they hold but also their impact from a socio-political, environmentalist perspective. The exhibition playfully and carefully walks the line between satire and aestheticism, drawing attention to the environmentalism message that it seeks to voice.

The environmentalism message is of course strong throughout the work, whereby it looks to demonstrate just how destructive these invasive plants are on our natural whenua. Many invasive plants such as gorse completely sweep up entire landscapes across the Wellington region; we have grown accustomed to this, however there are many actions we can take as a community to continue to fight this good fight.

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