Kiata Mason

Through this body of work, 'Beauty Before the Storm', Kiata Mason's practice focuses on a series of ocean-bound landscapes where the nature of the surrounding foliage is infused with the heightened energy of the ocean itself. Weaving the senses of an electric atmosphere with the quiet moments of calm found in the density of trees and vines, and salty air that feels like velvet as it brushes your skin, this series is a homage to the power of nature, as well as the resilience that we can learn from it.

As the storm brews on the horizon and the formidable rain grows ever closer, the signs of danger increase. Soon, the winds will become fierce and violent in nature, and the rains will pelt the leaf-strewn ground, as well as the soft pink-toned sandy beaches that will be subjected to the displacing elements, as the ocean becomes turmoil itself.

However, through this series of paintings, Mason asks the viewer to notice all the beauty that currently fills the focus of the canvas: the soft green foliage, the whimsical dances of vines as they grow out in search of connection with the next hedge or tree, the pungent pinks of the pea-like flowers scattered among the sea of green, and the constant overlapping of plants, big and small, that over time have been sculpted by the instinctive nature to grow alongside the ever-pressing winds. This has resulted in a density of foliage and strength in form, making them resilient to the oncoming storm.

Walking through this series of landscapes, Mason hopes that evidence of resilience and the power of nature working together can be glimpsed everywhere. For even the most delicate and beautiful of plants, which on the surface look as though they would not survive the oncoming disruptive forces, have in fact grown stronger together, weathered thousands of previous storms, and taken nourishment from them.