"Navigator 7" 2024

Navigator 7 (2024) is a sculptural work by New Zealand artist John Allen — tall, composed, and entirely at ease with itself, standing at 2600 mm. Handcrafted from pōhutukawa roots salvaged from fallen trees in the Auckland region, it is one of the most self-assured pieces in the Navigator series.

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.

Navigator 7 embodies that arrival. Where other pieces in the series reach, curve or gesture outward, this one simply stands — and in that standing, says everything. Its verticality is not rigid but relaxed, the uprightness of something that has found its centre and no longer needs to prove it. To be in its presence is to feel the quiet confidence of a form that is completely, unhurriedly itself. Sovereignty exemplified.

Finished with natural oil and wax. 

Specifications:

• Title: Navigator 7 (2024)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Pōhutukawa root (Auckland region)
• Finish: Oil and wax
• Height: 2600 mm | Width: 360 mm | Depth: 260 mm
• Care: Indoor display recommended