"The State of Presence" 2020

The State of Presence (2020) is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece built around a single, quietly powerful question: what does it feel like to be fully here?

The composition is set on an oval Japanese cedar base, its flowing grain providing a warm, grounded field. From the base, a pōhutukawa root firmly anchored below, lifts — arcing upward, rising into the space in front of the board. That movement is about coming forward into focused attention - the mechanism of the piece. It evokes, directly, the feeling of presence itself — of something that has arrived, that is here, that is fully present.

At the base of the root, where it meets the cedar, three small oval elements anchor the composition and provide contrast to the root’s high, reaching focal point: a South Island stone, a piece of pōhutukawa, and an oyster shell. Each is different in material and origin — earth, tree, ocean — and together they ground the piece in the breadth of the natural world.

Finished with natural oil and wax, every surface is warm and resolved. The piece is as much about what it evokes as what it depicts — a reminder that presence is not a place you arrive at, but a state you inhabit.

The State of Presence is an original artwork of rare conceptual and material clarity — a profound and considered gift for someone who values the art of being here.

Specifications:

• Title: The State of Presence (2020)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Japanese cedar oval base, pōhutukawa roots, South Island stone, oyster shell
• Finish: Oil and wax
• Dimensions: 500 × 350 mm
• Display: Wall-hung
• Care: Indoor display recommended