Phoebe Houston-Lowe is an early career artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her practice examines themes of memory; exploring metaphysical and ancestral expressions.

Houston-Lowe is particularly interested in how different mediums can facilitate experimentation with forces beyond her direct control while still actively shaping her work. Her practice is informed by research into ancient traditions, mysticism and her own phenomenological experiences.

Through an intuitive and contemplative methodology, she investigates the shared memories and energies that exist between people and materials, allowing for unseen histories and relationships to emerge.

Houston-Lowe holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in History of Art and Classics from The University of Auckland. She is commencing a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts at Elam School of Fine Arts in Semester Two, 2026.

Little Spring

In many spiritual traditions, the fontanelle at the crown of an infant’s head is revered as a sacred portal and point of connection to ancestral wisdom. Often associated with the crown chakra, it is understood as an energetic access point through which infants remain receptive to ancestral wisdom and the whispers of their lineage. The term fontanelle originates from the French word fontenelle, a diminutive of fontaine, meaning “fountain” or “spring,” symbolic of the associations with source, origin and connection.

Drawing from the historical motif of the nursing mother and child, Little Spring reorients attention towards the crown of the infant’s head as a site of spiritual significance. This work is informed by the artist's own personal experiences of nurturing and being nurtured. Through this cyclical exploration of ‘motherhood’, Little Spring considers how ancestral memories are renewed and transformed across time.