Artist’s statement

Gretl Barzotto is a visual artist working primarily in painting. Her practice centres around everyday observation of the natural world and objects she is surrounded by. With intentional ambiguity, she responds to her environment with an experimental approach that allows her to express personal freedom, developing a contemporary visual language that sits consciously in the in-between - between abstraction and representation.

Immersion in the landscape informs Gretl’s painting practice and the continual dialogue with contours, outlines and traces.

With this absorption and slow engagement with the natural world, she intuitively selects painting materials that, combined with her minimal approach to gesture, result in contemplative and subtle works. 

Formerly trained as an Interior Designer and more recently in Visual Arts, Gretl’s pared-back aesthetic is evident in her work. She has been exhibiting since 2010 and has works in various collections in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Italy,  including the Arts House Trust, Distinction Dunedin Hotel, Distinction Rotorua Hotel and private collections.