"Unity" 2021

Unity (2021) is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — the founding piece of the Unity series, and the work from which the series takes its name and its central idea.

Set on a round Japanese cedar base with beautifully figured grain, the piece brings together small polished pieces of pōhutukawa, puriri, rimu, oak, and driftwood, alongside river stones — each fragment different in timber, tone, texture, and origin, each one distinct and sovereign, each one placed in relationship with all the others. The cedar base, with its flowing, ocean-like grain, holds them all in a single field of quiet coherence.

The idea at the heart of this piece — and of the entire Unity series — is both simple and profound: that we are each sovereign individuals, entirely ourselves, entirely different from one another, and, at the same time, entirely one. Not one despite our differences, but one through them. The many timbers and stones in this piece do not dissolve into each other. They remain themselves. And yet together they form something that none of them could be alone.

This is the paradox that John Allen has explored across the Unity series: that individuation — the full realisation of oneself as a separate, sovereign being — is not the opposite of unity. It is the path toward it.

Finished with natural oil and wax, the surface of each element is polished to reveal its individual character — the grain, the colour, the history of each piece of wood and stone brought fully to light.

Unity is an original artwork of rare philosophical and material depth — a profound and considered piece for a significant wall.

Specifications:

• Title: Unity (2021)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Japanese cedar base (figured grain), pōhutukawa, puriri, rimu, oak, driftwood, river stones
• Finish: Oil and wax; polished
• Diameter: 600 mm
• Display: Wall-hung
• Care: Indoor display recommended