"Hope" 2022

Hope (2022) is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece that is deceptively simple and quietly extraordinary. A cross-sectional slice from the base of a fallen palm tree in a Parnell park, polished smooth and hung on the wall, it presents the tree’s interior as a kind of landscape.

Look into the surface and something unexpected happens. The natural vertical grain of the palm — the tiny dots of fibre that run the length of the tree — are more densely grouped toward the outside of the slice and more open toward the centre. This gradation creates an optical illusion: the flat surface appears to curve away from you, like the inside of a dome, like a sky opening upward. It gives the piece a remarkable sense of depth and space — a feeling of expansion, of possibility, of something lifting.

At the heart of the piece, a small pōhutukawa inlay sits like a quiet centre of warmth. And where a crack runs through the wood, copper staples hold it together — stitches, not concealment. In the spirit of kintsugi, the repair is made visible, the crack acknowledged and honoured rather than hidden. It is part of the piece. It is part of the hope.

The name says it simply. Hope is what you feel when you look into this piece — a smile, an opening, a sense that there is more space ahead than behind.

Hope is an original artwork of rare optical beauty and quiet emotional depth — a meaningful gift for someone who needs a little more sky in their life.

Specifications:

• Title: Hope (2022)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Palm wood (Parnell, Auckland), pōhutukawa heart inlay, copper staples
• Finish: Polished
• Diameter: 600 mm
• Display: Wall-hung
• Care: Indoor display recommended