a little about Gilbert van Reenen
Gilbert van Reenen is of Dutch descent and emigrated to New Zealand from
Indonesia with his family as a youngster. His schooling was in Invercargill. He then trained as a Veterinary Scientist
at New Zealand's defining University, Massey, and has practiced as a veterinarian in various parts of the South Island. He later specialised in Deer Medicine
and Reproduction Technology and Research. In '95 he turned his life long interest and passion for photography in to a second career
and rapidly gained a reputation as a creative and highly innovative professional photographer. He is a keen aviator and has logged more than 1500 hours as pilot in command.
He specialises in commercial, editorial and illustrative assignments for branding, creating displays, advertising and various publications.
He was among the first photographers to adopt and embrace printing techniques which use archival pigment inks and acid free substrates that only watercolour painters had used previously.
He has developed a portfolio of these highly distinctive images which are widely sought after as archival art prints
and murals for décor for private and public buildings in several countries. He has produced the decor art for a number of resorts and hotels in Australia and New Zealand. He is a keen naturalist
and is involved with the development of the Te Araroa national pathway and is a founding trustee of the Otago Te Araroa Trust. Gilbert has served several terms as a member of the Otago Conservation Board. He
lives near Wanaka in Central Otago with his fabric artist wife Robyn and travels throughout New Zealand and internationally on his assignments. He has
been on photographic expeditions to Antarctica, North & South America, Australia, Japan, China, Turkey, Indonesia and Europe and has been involved in several strenuous expeditions to remote parts of Fiordland and Rakiura. One of his specialties is vineyard photography.
Gilbert has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout New Zealand. His latest, Our Wider World, was in September 2009 and was a joint show with eminent New Zealand Poet Laureate, Brian Turner . The exhibition matched Turner's lyrical and eloquent poetry to van Reenen's images - mostly of Central Otago. Both Turner and van Reenen are deeply concerned about the wanton desecration of the fragile Central Otago environment by ill conceived schemes promoted with dubious claims of community benefits.
Gilbert has published two books, his first, Central Otago is a best seller and has already had three printings. This was followed by New Zealand South which was also highly acclaimed. He has more books in the pipeline. He contributed most of the images for Brian Turner's recent best selling back country miscellany Into The Wider World
Gilbert's most recent exhibition is a collaborative effort with West Coast Printmaker Liz Hawker called Stranded and depicts the grim experiences of a gang of 10 sealers led by Davey Louston who were stranded on the open Bay Islands off the coast of Haast in South Westland for four years from 1810 - 1814 before being rescued by a passing ship "Governor Bligh" The exhibition shows at the Heartland Heritage Hotel Haast Junction until late March 2010. For more information click HERE
Gilbert has recently developed a new website which has a rapidly growing searchable database of his images. Vital Images is an ongoing project. Gilbert is a member of AIPA (The Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Association) and their Standard Terms and Conditions of Engagement apply to all commissioned work. (view) Clean Green Images Ltd was incorporated and registered with the New Zealand Companies Office in 1985 (registration no 286766) |
