John Hurrell – 1 June, 2025

The typically innovative Campbell here presents 23 otherworldly photogravures, a fascinating suite of ambiguous landscape images that blend old with the new by using LiDAR, a computer program designed for land surveying. It specialises in measuring light, and can transmute selected vistas to graphically create fictional space and surfaces by initially scanning the Karekare hills as a starting off point that is never imagistically retained.

Despite the advanced technology, the fact that these spatially complex, heavily textured ‘rock faces’ and cascading subtwerranean ‘waterfalls’ are photogravures gives them a curious, antiquated, art-historic quality that is surrealist, ethereal and dreamlike in mood—exploiting a kind of transparent ‘solidity’ that is filmy, not concrete. They are intended to reference Campbell’s personal diary where she records to the best of her ability her own nocturnal oneiric experiences or those of her children—in particular here—Moses her son.

They are a wee bit like electron microscope images and are slightly spooky because of this ghostly layering that can discreetly rattle; providing an overtly emotional edge that makes them compelling. They are subtle with their wispy clusters of hairy pale lines, but not overly so. Rendered in mixtures of beautiful grey, off-white and black, sometimes within peculiar chequer paterns, the delicate striations surprisingly activate the rock surfaces with occasional fiery gouges that glow.

The light in these dark caverns has a flicker, reminiscent of firelight at night. Sometimes we see meandering black rivers or small trees high on rock ledges. The ambience, as Campbell herself says quite accurately, is the atmosphere created by earlier historic figures like Piranesi, Goya and Niépce. Her work is a treasure trove of associative references if you love European art history.

Included with these densely textured, sly and delicate b/w forms are also four framed letterpress texts using the ‘artist’s voice’ to provide a kind of explanatory commentary and coloured alphabetical beauty. Campbell’s imaginary photogravures are a speleological treat, rich in detail, revelling in mystery, and should not be missed.

John Hurrell

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