This exhibition comes from a deep connection with Hastings and wider Hawke’s Bay, the memories of growing up here and glimpses of the architectural aspects of the area. It depicts layers of memory and history mainly through representation of the built environment.
Maiken moved back to Hastings in January 2015, this exhibition marks ten years since she returned to her hometown. Initially she was drawn to documenting the architectural gems and unique characteristics of Hastings using photography and her instagram account. This grew into a photographic project in 2016 in which she exhibited around 400 photos in the window of the Common Room and did a PechaKucha presentation exclaiming the wonders of “stings”. The reaction from the public and locals was a mixture of the nostalgia for the Hastings of the past, combined with the excitement of its preservation and revitalisation. Maiken relished the conversations that started from her photos as memories were sparked and stories were told.
Since then Maiken witnessed how many of the buildings that she had photographed were disappearing, being demolished, or, being renovated, re-branded and re-purposed. Even her recent photographs were becoming historical records.
This led to more of a focus on paintings of Hastings which reflect and evoke the collective and recent memory of place and the incremental change that is characteristic of small cities. Hawke’s Bay has its Spanish Mission, Art Deco and specific architectural heritage to trigger memories of specific times and events, but it also shares the universality of the change that most regional cities and all urban environments experience as the way we live our life changes and evolves. This exhibition aims to evoke memory of the specific places depicted, or, of the inevitable change we all recognise in the places we love and connect with.
Maiken Calkoen: Artist
Maiken Calkoen seamlessly integrates her background in architecture and her passion for painting to create visually captivating works. Initially inspired by her school years in art and design, Maiken pursued Architecture at Victoria University, which laid the foundation for her artistic journey. Now a Design and Visual Communication teacher at Karamū High School in Hastings, she balances her educational role with a fervent dedication to her own art practice.
Maiken’s painting career took flight after her university studies, profoundly influenced by her time living in Amsterdam, Galway, and Edinburgh in 2003 and 2004. These vibrant cities infused her work with a unique sense of place and narrative. Upon returning to Wellington, Maiken continued to explore urban landscapes, producing numerous paintings that depicted the city's dynamic neighbourhoods with a keen architectural eye. Maiken is a passionate advocate for Hawke’s Bay and in the last 9 years has produced a number of paintings with Hawkes Bay as the predominant subject matter. She has exhibited her paintings in a number of exhibitions, including East 2020 at the Hastings City Art Gallery.
Maiken’s artistic journey was enriched in 2022 with a Fulbright Teaching Scholarship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There, she embraced new subject matter and techniques in a landscape painting course, pushing the boundaries of her creativity. This experience revitalised her passion for painting, resulting in a prolific period of artistic production. Her work is known for its meticulous observation, vibrant palettes, panoramic views, strong perspective, observation of light as distinctive to the season or time of day, and the ability to evoke a deep sense of place and emotion.
Maiken Calkoen’s work participated in this year’s “Summer City Idyll” Exhibition at Agora Gallery in New York City.
Look out for her exhibition “Building Memory” at Arts Inc Heretaunga, Hastings which will run from the 20th of January until the 1st of February 2025.
