"Contemplation of Transience" 2021

Contemplation of Transience (2021) is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece of stunning presence, rare material, and quiet philosophical depth. Its subject is transience itself: the fact that everything passes, that nothing stays, and that this — far from being a cause for grief — is the very condition that makes beauty possible.

The puriri pieces that make up this composition come from a fallen tree on a Northland beach that the artist has known since childhood — a tree that appears in his earliest photographs, lying in the same place on the same sand, decade after decade. For more than fifty years it has been shaped by the sea, the sun, and the creatures of the shore. It is eaten away, hollowed, worn. And yet the wood retains its extraordinary dark green-gold colour — the deep, vibrant hue that very old puriri holds, full of life even in its weathering. This contrast is the subject of the piece: life and death, presence and erosion, the beauty of things that endure by changing. The puriri does not resist its transience. It embodies it — and in doing so, becomes more full of life.

The pine frame is built in the manner of a Japanese Zen garden wall — with a small roof covering the tops of the walls and a surround that evokes the viewing area from which a traditional garden is contemplated. You are not simply looking at the piece; you are positioned before it, as a visitor to a garden, invited to be still. Inside this frame, the puriri pieces are arranged on a painted hardboard ground. From the centre, light appears to radiate outward — a ray of time and presence, illuminating the weathered forms around it, as though the moment itself is glowing.

Transience is not loss. It is the nature of all living things — the tide that shapes the shore, the light that moves across the day, the wood that gives itself to time and emerges more beautiful for it. To stand before this piece is to be invited into a moment of genuine contemplation: of what endures, what passes, and what it means to be fully here while we are.

Contemplation of Transience is an original artwork of rare personal and philosophical depth — a profound and considered piece for a significant wall.

Specifications:

• Title: Contemplation of Transience (2021)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Puriri (Northland beach, 50+ years weathered), painted hardboard, pine frame
• Inspiration: Japanese Zen garden tradition
• Dimensions: 600 × 400 mm
• Display: Wall-hung
• Care: Indoor display recommended