6 October - 1 November 2026 | Whakaaturanga Exhibition Space

Exhibition blurb

“Vessels and Journeys” explores the parallel between the human body and the ship-both designed to carry, protect, and transport what is precious. A ship holds cargo across vast and uncertain waters; the body carries memory, identity, and spirit through time.

In this work, I consider what it means to be a vessel. What do we hold within us, and how do we safeguard it? Like ships marked by their voyages, our bodies bear the traces of experience-visible and invisible. Scars, gestures, and presence become evidence of movement, endurance, and transformation.

The journey is not only physical but spiritual. It is shaped by forces beyond our control-currents, weather, time-yet also by intention and navigation. By drawing connections between maritime forms and the human figure, I aim to blur the boundary between object and self, suggesting we are both carriers and cargo, both structure and story.

This exhibition reflects on the fragility and resilience of vessels, and the significance of what they carry. It invites the viewer to consider their own journeys: what they hold, what they protect, and what they may become.

Herman Harmzen: Artist Bio

South African-born artist and teacher Herman Harmzen holds an Honours Degree in Fine Art from the Vaal University of Technology in Vanderbijlpark, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from North-West University in Potchefstroom.

Herman Harmzen has worked in education since 2002, beginning as a part-time Photography lecturer at the Vaal University of Technology’s Klerksdorp Campus. He has since held various teaching roles in South Africa and New Zealand and is currently an art teacher at Hauraki Plains College in Ngatea.

Sarah Lee: Artist text
It has been an interesting learning journey creating this exhibition with Herman. We met via mutual friends and colleagues who saw the need for creative folk to get out of their isolated practices and inspire each other. 

I began making work for this show before I had seen any of Herman's paintings, just working from a brief conversation around the idea of shipwrecks as a metaphor for the human condition. 

When I finally went to visit, he was working on his painting based on The Raft of the Medusa. I was awed and curious to look into this painting from 1818 that had inspired him. It intrigued me that mankind is still debating many of the political issues that inspired Géricault to paint his masterpiece and was also intrigued by Herman's interpretation of it. The painting and the subsequent conversation we had sent my work off into quite a different direction. It has been an interesting, rewarding and at times painfully frustrating process but I am glad that it pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I am quite introverted and work alone in my home studio in Te Aroha so it is easy to forget the power of others to inject inspiration and energy into your work. It is invaluable to make connections with fellow creatives and to have the opportunity to view and exhibit work in spaces such at the Morrinsville Gallery is an absolute boon. A massive thank you to Herman as well as Liz and the fabulous volunteers here at the gallery.