Ledyard Gallery

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Current Exhibit

Exhibit Description:

This exhibition features 24 photographs of the South Island of New Zealand, capturing the region’s distinctive landscapes and the ever-changing conditions that define them. With jagged mountains, open plains, and plunging waterfalls, the images offer an invitation to experience the South Island’s beauty and atmosphere.

Artist’s Statement:

This series of photographs is a meditation on the landscapes of the South Island of New
Zealand. The title of the show – Mirage of the Ocean – is the translation of the Māori
name for the Southern Alps – Kā Tiritiri o te Moana.

In the 13th century, the people who would become the Māori traveled approximately
2,500 miles via canoe to find this land emerging from the sea. Drawn to its vast skies,
plunging waterfalls, and rugged mountains, I set out to create images that hold the
sense of both grandeur and intimacy that the land offers.
One of the great joys of photography is inspiring a sense of wonder. Through my lens, I
sought to preserve not just the visual magnificence of these locations, but the sense of
awe they inspire – that fundamental human response to beauty that connects us across
cultures and generations.

This body of work celebrates the South Island as a realm where wonder remains
accessible, where the act of observing becomes a form of pilgrimage. In an age of digital
saturation, these photographs serve as quiet testimonies to the irreplaceable experience
of standing before landscapes that dwarf our imagination yet somehow feel like home
to the human spirit.

This exhibit is dedicated to Tapley Trudell, Christine Trudell,
Megan Trudell, Linnea Trudell, and the memory of Mike Trudell.

Up Next: Hanover High School student exhibition

Past Ledyard Gallery Interviews