Imogen Taylor’s Powerful Murmurs at Michael Lett

Paintings in Imogen Taylor‘s latest exhibition convey a sense of urgency that is only partially understood, like a softly spoken phrase misheard as a death threat or a declaration of love.

Her solo exhibition, Murmurs (18 August–7 October 2023) takes place at Michael Lett‘s East Street headquarters, just off Karangahape Road.

Taylor, who was born in Whangārei, New Zealand, and now lives in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, is known for sensuous paintings that flaunt her intriguing interplay of smooth and rough surfaces, and bold and muted colours.

Her paintings often conjure a sense of pleasure and eroticism. With ambiguous forms and curved lines, Taylor plays with the legacies of modernism in a bid to eliminate the masculine self-seriousness that permeated throughout art history.

Murmurs, which features all-new work, whispers about familiar things. We see a cat quietly drinking from her bowl, the curves of two lovers entwined, and the outline of a female figure melting into a thicket of small trees.

Each composition is masterfully put together, with Taylor communicating form between flat planes of dark colour in thickly applied layers of contrasting hues.

Taylor’s work is aesthetically rewarding—it feeds you a sense of something slowly dawning, something romantic, sensuous, and joyous.