ABOUT
Emma Bass is an established artist whose practise centres on flowers, nature and wellbeing through beauty.
Emma's Story
Emma Bass is a New Zealand artist known for her intricate contemporary floral still lifes that transform flowers into richly layered portraits of beauty, fragility, and emotion. Born in Liberia, West Africa, she lived in England before moving to New Zealand at the age of six and is now based in Auckland.
Bass first trained and worked as a nurse before establishing a successful twenty-two year career as a commercial photographer. Eventually she stepped away from photography to focus entirely on her own artistic practice — something she describes as being always in her bones. Working with flowers gathered from gardens, roadside verges, and wild places, she creates complex botanical assemblages that reference the symbolism and drama of historical still life painting while remaining distinctly contemporary.
Always committed to uplifting the world through her work, Bass is inspired by growing scientific evidence that flowers and nature can positively influence wellbeing. Her work has been exhibited widely and she has twice been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London (2016 and 2022).
Exhibition History
In 1992, Emma began exhibiting her art photography and has established a strong following. In 2016, she was the only New Zealand artist to be invited to appear at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in London, shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 and she exhibited there again in 2022.
In addition to her well-known Floral Portraits/Imperfect (2010–present) other collections include Embellish (2017) and A Little Garden (2018). As Emma continues to diversify and explore new territory, recent series' include Interrupted Eden (2019–present) and her newest series of work Florasssemblage (2021-present) interweaving photographic and painted mark-making.
One-person exhibitions:
2023, Florassemblage, Ellerton Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2023, Spirit of Eden, Boyd Dunlop Gallery, Napier, NZ
2022, Bloom, Anna Sieber Gallery, Michigan, USA
2021, Love, Boyd Dunlop Gallery, Napier, NZ
2020, The Impossible Garden, Alberton House, Auckland, NZ
2019, A Little Garden, Artis Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2018, Embellish, Waiheke Art Gallery, Waiheke, NZ
2017, Embellish, Smyth Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2014, New Work, Black Asterisk Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2014, Imperfect, Black Asterisk Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2013, Imperfect, Diversion Gallery, Picton, NZ
2012, Imperfect, Red Gallery, Nelson, NZ
2012, Imperfect, Black Asterisk Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2001, Bloom, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Auckland, NZ
Group exhibitions:
2022, Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, UK
2021, Flower Fever, Fållnäs Gard, Sorunda, Sweden
2021, Open, Becker Minty, Sydney, Australia
2020, Semicolon, Föenander Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2020, Flora & Fauna, Föenander Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2020, Grounded, Artsy/Daniel Raphael Gallery, London, UK
2019, Salon des Refusés, Camden Image Gallery, London, UK
2019, On Paper, Artis Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2019, Sea Conversations, Waiheke Art Gallery, Waiheke, NZ
2019, Nature Morte, NKB Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2018, A Garden on the Wall, Jonathan Grant Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2018, Anthophile, Daniel Raphael Gallery, London, UK
2018, Sizzle, The Waiheke Art Gallery, Waiheke, NZ
2017, Not Just Flowers, The Vivian Gallery, Matakana, NZ
2016, The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, UK
2016, The Birthday Invitational, The Artist’s Room, Dunedin, NZ
2016, The Flower Show, The Vivian Gallery, Matakana, NZ
2015, Botanical works, Tree Gallery, Whanganui, NZ
2015, A & P Show, The Vivian Gallery, Matakana, NZ
2015, Bloom, Opus Gallery, Whakatane Museum, NZ
2014, The Flower Show, The Vivian Gallery, Matakana, NZ
2014, Light Side/Dark Side, Millennium Gallery, Blenheim, NZ
2012, Fabulous Darling, Black Asterisk, Auckland, NZ
2012, Opening Show, The Vivian Gallery, Matakana, NZ
1993 Wallace Art Awards, Auckland, NZ
1992 Metalmorphosis, Auckland, NZ
1989 Group Show, Camera Club, London
