Sarjeant Gallery | Jade Townsend - From the Lion’s Mouth
Jade Townsend. ‘Rotokawau’ 2025. Acrylic on linen with hand carved Sapele frame.
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery is proud to announce From the Lion’s Mouth, a new series of paintings by Jade Townsend (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) on display from 21 February until 14 June 2026.
From the Lion’s Mouth showcases 13 new paintings that are inspired by Townsend’s time as the artist in residence at Tylee Cottage in Whanganui. All paintings are acrylic on linen, with custom carved sapele frames by Emile Drescher. The exhibition has a sound component by Cory Champion.
The exhibition draws on Townsend’s personal experiences, family stories, Māori mythology, and established local narratives. The works are drenched in the obsession and heat of young love, hyper-real and exaggerated, inspired by Townsend’s parents’ courtship and her friends’ tales of romance, all set against the backdrop of Whanganui’s many watery landmarks and motifs – the Whanganui awa, the wishing well, Virginia Lake and the Higginbottom Fountain.
Jade Townsend will be speaking at Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in the exhibition space on Sunday 22 February at 11am – 12pm. She will be discussing her exhibition From the Lion’s Mouth with Cecelia Kumeroa, Curator – Programmes & Engagement.
Exhibition runs 21 February - 14 June 2026.
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery | Whanganui
4 Pukenamu Drive, Whanganui
Artist Talk - Sunday 22 February 11am - 12pm