In this episode, I sit down with Emma Fitts at Melanie Roger Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau.

This episode is part of a series I’m delivering this season for the McCahon House Parehuia Residency, celebrating their 20th Anniversary, where I’m volunteering the services of The Good Oil to highlight the wonderful and important work they do, and some of their very impressive alumni, which includes Emma.

Emma studied Fine Art at the University of Canterbury, before completing a Master of Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Dowse Art Museum, the University of Canterbury Art Collection, and the Chartwell Collection at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. She has also been the recipient of several art prizes and residencies, including the Olivia Bower Residency, and of course is Alumni of the McCahon House Parehuia residency.

Emma is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland.

There are images of the works that we talk about on The Good Oil Emma Fitts Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode, you’ll hear how she takes inspiration and direction from fashion and textiles, the potential of canvas beyond simply painting on it, the wealth of guidance she has taken from Anni Albers, how strong the research component of her practice is, and how that makes her in part an historian, and, I really liked this, she observes we’re living in a fluorescent time now with society not being so gentle, and how she plans to respond to that.