Exhibitions » Exhibition Archive » 1999 » Denys Watkins: Heavenly Chance

Denys Watkins: Heavenly Chance

9 October - 21 November 1999 in the Entire Gallery

Denys Watkins stayed at the Heavenly Chance hotel during a visit to Hanoi in 1997. While there, he was inspired by the frequent references to spirituality and light that occur in everyday Vietnamese life. The exhibition Heavenly Chance presents Watkins’ view of this culture.

Watkins bases the display around lacquered wooden panels, a traditional medium in Vietnamese arts. His abstract motifs refer to elements that connote both the spiritual and the physical: heat and light. This is emphasised by a special feature of the exhibition, tin thermos flasks which incorporate light forms.

Heavenly Chance is an evocative and mystical experience, and marks an exciting chapter for one of New Zealand’s leading painters.

Denys Watkins: Heavenly Chance is an artist’s project initiated by City Gallery Wellington.
Supported by Asia 2000, Creative New Zealand and the University of Auckland.