"Antlers" 2023

Antlers (2023) is a wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a single piece of pōhutukawa root from a fallen tree in St Heliers, Auckland, mounted on the wall and presented exactly as it was found: branching, reaching, and unmistakably itself. Nothing has been imposed on the form. A beautiful natural gesture. The root simply is what it is — and what it is, is extraordinary.

At 900mm wide and 800mm high, the piece commands a wall with the quiet authority of something that grew that way. The branching form reads immediately as antlers — not because it has been shaped to look like them, but because nature arrived there on its own. That is the whole of it, and it is enough. The oil and wax finish deepens the grain and brings out the warmth of the timber without altering its character.

There is nothing else quite like Antlers. It is not a series piece, not a repeated form — it is one root, from one tree, from one place, made once. For the right wall, in the right room, it will stop people in their tracks.

Available for viewing at Turua Gallery, St Heliers, Auckland.

Specifications:

• Title: Antlers (2023)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Pōhutukawa root (St Heliers, Auckland)
• Finish: Oil and wax
• Width: 900 mm | Height: 800 mm
• Display: Wall-hung
• Care: Indoor display recommended