In Arauraenua, Matthew Payne turns his focus to one of the Pacific's most iconic natural wonders-the lagoon of Aitutaki. Revered for its luminous waters and shifting tones of blue, the lagoon has long captivated travellers, artists, and storytellers alike. In this new exhibition, Payne presents eight paintings that reflect his sustained engagement with the physical and emotional presence of this place.
Rendered in Payne's distinct tonal realism, the works in Arauraenua are not simple depictions of a postcard paradise, but carefully observed studies of movement, light, and atmosphere. The lagoon becomes a living surface-restless, reflective, and endlessly mutable. From cloud-shadowed coral to the sharp shimmer of midday sun, each canvas captures a different mood, a different moment.
There is a meditative precision in Payne's work, yet also a quiet reverence. These are paintings that invite the viewer to slow down, to enter the rhythm of the island and experience the lagoon not as a destination but as a continuum-a place where land, sky, and sea dissolve into one another.
Arauraenua-a traditional name for Aitutaki-reaffirms Payne's connection to place, and his ongoing commitment to painting as a way of seeing. In this body of work, the lagoon is not simply beautiful: it is elemental, expansive, and enduring.
