Iris Stella is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based abstract artist who combines acrylics and organic materials to form relief paintings. Bare environments such as island atolls or the moon’s surface have amalgamated in the artist’s memory, forming points of reference through which she invokes universal moods with depth and tone.

Stella’s canvases are at once naturalistic and abstract; from a distance her aerial views are reminiscent of sights seen from a plane window, while on closer inspection their raised surfaces are lyrical studies of texture. These works appear almost photo-realistic from a distance—a deep blue piece resembles a coastal tide viewed at night, yet at the same time could represent quivering light rays seen from the depths of the ocean. Stella invites viewers to project their own associations onto each painting, which has seen her explore increasingly abstracted forms in earthy and oceanic tones.

Iris Stella has a Masters in Textile and Fashion Business from MOD’SPE Paris, and her paintings have featured in a number of editions of The World of Interiors magazine. Stella’s work is exhibited at The Wharf Gallery in Raglan and Saatchi Art, and a solo exhibition at Red Gallery in Melbourne is in the pipeline for 2022. A selection of these works were exhibited in the Depot Artspace group exhibition INSIDE/OUT with Lucie Blaževská earlier this year.

Iris Stella