Navigator 5 (2024) is a sculptural work by New Zealand artist John Allen — the most graceful of the Navigator series, standing at 2340 mm. Handcrafted from pōhutukawa roots salvaged from fallen trees in the Auckland region, it is a work defined by the beauty of its curves.
The Navigator works are symbols of the inner journey: the lifelong passage of coming to know oneself with honesty and courage. They speak to the movement from separation toward individuation — not the construction of a self, but the uncovering of who has always been there. The paradox at the heart of this journey is that to fully arrive at yourself is to discover you were never apart from anything. A quiet oneness. A sense of joy.
What distinguishes Navigator 5 is the elegance of its main upright — a long, flowing curve that rises with unhurried confidence, the grain moving with it like a current beneath the surface. The base, rounded and gently curved, grounds the piece harmoniously. Together, upright and base form a single, continuous inner conversation — a form that seems could not have been otherwise. Sovereignty defined.
