Into the Afterlands

Fire shines, and so does grief: photography, poetry, and sculpture take you into the 'afterlands' of a devastating house fire.

Presented by: Susan Wardell

From: Ōtepoti | Dunedin

Fire shines, and so does grief. 

In this exhibition, artist, scholar, and awarded local poet Susan Wardell carves out a small personal space to curate her own creative responses to the devastating housefire she and her family experienced in their St Leonards home in July 2025. 

Focusing on the 'afterlands' of a life-changing event, the exhibition features a series of photographs from inside the gutted home, a sequence of postcard poems addressed to people involved in caring for the family in the following weeks, and sculptures that blend found objects and textile traditions. 

Exploring shock, longing, loss, gratitude, and trauma, it is her personal reflection on our creative relationship to material objects and belongings, to homes and home-making... inviting the viewer to think about the things that hold us. 

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