The Game is a sculptural work by New Zealand artist John Allen — and one of the most unexpected pieces he has made. At first glance, it is a dice. Look again.
The cube is carved from the confluence point of a pōhutukawa tree — the junction where trunk meets roots, the energetic core from which the whole tree radiated. This is the most concentrated, most complex, most alive part of the tree: dense with growth rings, fissured with complexity, rich with the deep amber and red tones that only pōhutukawa can produce. From this raw mass, John Allen has carved a cube — precise, geometric, deliberate — and painted its dots in bold red. The result is a collision of the ordered and the organic that stops you in your tracks.
The dice is one of humanity’s oldest objects — a symbol of chance, fate, and the willingness to play. Here, it is made from the very heart of a tree, as if nature itself has been asked to take a turn. The wild pohutukawa root material is celebrated.
Finished with oil and wax.
Available for viewing and purchase at Arthaus Contemporary Gallery, 228 Orakei Rd, Remuera, Auckland, 2-16 September 2026.
Specifications:
Title: The Game
Artist: John Allen
Materials: Pōhutukawa root/trunk junction (from St Johns, Auckland), red paint, oil and wax
