Pink & White

Thought to have been completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886, part of the Terraces were rediscovered by a group of New Zealand scientists in 2011; buried in sediment but still intact.  Candi Dentice was invited to observe scientists in the subsequent project which mapped the Terraces, an experience which culminated in the unique body of work presented in Pink & White.

The lost Terraces and their surrounds have been immortalised in the work of many 19th century New Zealand painters and photographers, and have captured the imaginations of generations of New Zealanders.  Contemporary portrayals of the Terraces by artists like Charles Blomfield are symbols of a nostalgic vision of New Zealand; representing an untouched and pure landscape – a romanticised notion even in the 1860s – these images became iconic after the Tarawera’s eruption devastated the area’s unique topography. 

Dentice revisits these scenes over 100 years later, exquisitely describing what is now a landscape undergoing the slow and fascinating process of regeneration.  Each painting in Pink & White has been produced after extensive research which provides a foundation for her images, allowing the artist to fully express the beautiful complexity and fragility of these environments. Dentice’s often poetic imagery, such as relics recovered from under the ash, or a lone tree as a portrait of a human life lost in the eruption, speak eloquently of the disruption, dislocation, and destruction of the event; the loss of what is precious in the wake of unimaginable cataclysm.

The Pink and White Terraces Project 2012

Candi was invited to be an observer with the team from GNS Science, Niwa and the University of Waikato in 2012 that were looking to create a map of the Pink and White Terraces and their surrounding landscape.  The Project Leader, Dr Cornel E.J. de Ronde of GNS Science writes:

“Ever since I was a boy at school, I had heard about the famous Pink and White Terraces.  Strange really, that they would be still be talked about when you consider they had disappeared from view, presumed blown up, since the eruption of Mt. Tarawera on June 10, 1886.  So it was absolutely astounding to me to realise, during our careful mapping of the lake floor at Rotomahana, that we had discovered remnants of the Pink Terraces.  

They appeared in good condition, with only the bottom tiers exposed and the top ones thought to be covered by mud.  It was great to be able to share this discovery with the rest of New Zealand and to see aspects of the expedition featured in artworks, like those of Candi. This coming together of science and art has real substance, power and energy.  I love it. ..."

- Cornel de Ronde

Artist’s statement

The June 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera caused the disappearance of the famed Pink and White Terraces, called by some the Eighth Wonder of the World.  Tragically many people lost their lives and others their livelihoods in the widespread destruction.

Captivated by evocative contemporary images of the terraces before the eruption and the publicity of the surveys by GNS Science of Lake Rotomahana for evidence of the Terraces’ fate, I was inspired to follow up on my research in the area.  At the kind invitation of Dr Cornel de Ronde, Project Leader, I joined the GNS / Niwa / Universityof Waikatoteam for a time on their 2012 investigation project at the lake. 

The terrain is rugged and beautiful. Vegetation is still regenerating from the eruption and, with Mt Tarawera still dominant, one is reminded of the power of nature to change the landscape.

- Candi Dentice