My name is Barbara Ruhdorfer. I was born in Regen, Bavaria (Germany) and live in Aotearoa since 1996. As student of fine art I experimented with different media, worked on sculptures, pottery, drawings and paintings.
The starting point, when I first came to New Zealand from Germany, was the rugged but beautiful landscape. Shaped by seismic and volcanic activity, and the formative forces of wind and water, I was inspired to represent what I saw.
Increasingly I have become interested in the results of erosion on stretches of rock, tree trunks, and mud flats. The patterned reliefs, structures and monochrome colours I found, have helped steer me towards an exploration of abstract compositions.
Selected Exhibitions
| February/ March 2024 | Solo Exhibition “Looking Forward, Looking Back” ArtSelect Gallery, Newmarket (Auckland, NZ) |
| Since March 2021 | Solo Exhibition – “Drawn from Nature” Rust Gallery, Whangarei (NZ) |
| July 2019 | “Painted from Nature” Kalina Gallery, Regen (Germany) |
| October 2017 | “Reckless Abandon” Megan Dickinson Gallery, Whangarei (NZ) |
| March 2015 | Finalist in Estuary Art Award Uxbridge Gallery, Auckland (NZ) |
| July 2013 | Art from the heart Fo Guang Shan Temple, Flat Bush (NZ) |
| September 2007 | Solo Exhibition – Erosion Art Depot, Devonport (NZ) |
| February 2007 | Group Exhibition – Sandart & Glass Lopdale House, Titirangi (NZ) |
| July 2006 | Group Exhibition – Abstract Works Art Depot, Devonport (NZ) |
| December 2002 – January 2003 | Group Exhibition – Acrylics on wood Galerie der Künstler, Munich (Germany) |
| October 2002 – January 2003 | Group exhibition – paper AWG Donau-Wald (Germany) |
| November – December 2001 | New Zealand landscapes – Acrylics BMW/Softlab, Munich (Germany) |
| July 1999 | Drawn from Nature – Sandart Artemis Gallery, Auckland (NZ) |
| May 1999 | People – Water Colours Art Centre, Christchurch (NZ) |
| December 1998 | Solstice – behind glass art Artemis Gallery, Auckland (NZ) |