Eryn Gribble

Eclectic, Eccentric and Slightly odd – I am a young artist based in Wellington, New Zealand. My art reflects who I am! It can be a little bit juxtaposed by being both grim and playful. I am a fan of the kitch, the absurd, either all colour or no colour!

I enjoy experimenting in a large array of different disciplines and within that trying new mediums and materials. Due to my past student budget I found a real fondness for working with found items, recycled items, discarded items. I enjoying using found items as they tell me a story and direct me as to how to use them. I am also not a fan of waste.

With my assemblage work I enjoy using a box that I construct as a frame to house a collection of made and found objects that tell a story, share and idea or emotion, or simply – just belong together!

I have become a bit of a “shrine maker” lately. This came about after the death of a good friend of mine. His funeral (which was planned by him) had a Memento Mori theme. At the time I was unaware what this meant. Translated from Latin as “ Remember you will Die”. This led me to explore the Memento Mori art movement and to really just fall in love with the movement, with Mexico, Dia De Los Muertos (the day of the dead holiday celebrated by many in Mexico) and the imagery that is associated with the aforementioned.

My shrines are a way of me taking my hat off to those beautiful cemeteries and shrines filled with colour and celebrating life through death. And of course, my dear mate Skoota.

These shrines were a featured at my latest exhibition where they sold well and I gained several commissions for these.