Agiosortissa – The Intercessor

by Mary Borland

Date: Sep 5 – Sep 18Space: Workshop

Icons are a beautiful and rich part of spiritual expression. Serving as tangible representations of the intangible, that coveys the essence of the sacred. Through their use in various cultures and faiths, icons have shaped art, literature, and popular culture, while also serving as symbols of identity and community. Understanding the complex and multifaceted nature of icons can provide insight into the diverse ways in which humans connect with the divine and with each other.

Mary Borland has been painting as a hobby since the mid 1980’s, experimenting with a variety of mediums; watercolour and gouache on paper, acrylic on canvas, and in this exhibition, rimu boards salvaged from the restoration of her Art Deco home in Napier. She first painted icons in Sydney in early 2000, then moved primarily onto canvasses. But in this exhibition, Mary has returned to painting icons, as a form of meditation and reverence.
She’s exhibited and sold her works in Australia, the USA, and now back in her homeland of New Zealand.