Opening Speakers:
Fiona Turner, Winemaker, Tinpot Hut Winery
Matthew Payne, Artist
Shannon Saunders, CITC
The South Pacific has long been framed through an idyllic lens—its turquoise lagoons, palm-lined beaches, and golden light capturing the imagination of European explorers, artists, and modern tourism alike. In Infinite Horizon, Matthew Payne revisits this tradition of Pacific landscape painting, but with an approach that seeks not just to depict, but to immerse. His works do not simply present an image of paradise; they offer an experiential entry point into the world as he sees and feels it, positioning the viewer within the scene rather than at a distance.
A graduate of Whitecliffe College of Fine Arts, Payne’s connection to water extends beyond the canvas. Growing up on Auckland’s North Shore and competing internationally as a Water Polo player, he has spent much of his life in and around the ocean. This deep familiarity with water informs his painting process — shifting his perspective from passive observer to active participant.
Payne’s aesthetic is a contemporary fusion of realism, impressionism, and romanticism. The interplay of dramatic light and reflective water surfaces recalls elements of the sublime, yet his compositions remain grounded in a tangible sense of place. In this exhibition, Payne draws particular inspiration from Rarotonga’s uninterrupted horizon, where the sea meets the sky in an unbroken expanse, interrupted only by the protective reef—a subtle but powerful boundary that defines the Cook Islands’ relationship with the ocean.
In Infinite Horizon, Payne captures not just the visual splendor of the Pacific but the emotional resonance of the landscape—its tranquility, its vastness, and its ever-changing interplay of light and movement. Through his distinctive approach, he offers more than an image of paradise; he invites the viewer to step into it, to experience the sensation of standing in the shallows, feeling the warmth of the sun, and gazing toward the boundless sea.
