Art Hits the Streets: Zara Dolan’s ‘Rhythm Loop’ Set to Reach 700,000 Kiwis
A New Way to Connect People with Modern Art is being Road-Tested.
By taking contemporary art outdoors, an estimated 700,000 New Zealanders are expected to engage with it this season, marking a record level of public connection compared to traditional gallery attendance.
The stunning artworks titled ‘Rhythm Loop’ have been created by Award-winning Printmaker Zara Dolan.
Rhythm Loop by Zara Dolan for Art Ache, 2025. To view Zara Dolan’s wider collection of works, please contact Sanderson Contemporary.
Rhythm Loop.
Rhythm Loop is being presented to commuters via giant outdoor digital screens located in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, and Ōtautahi–Christchurch, where the artist is based.
This series encapsulates electrifying bursts of energy through vibrant mark-making that conveys moments of dynamic animation. Against dark grounds, ribbons of blue loop across the page in sweeping, rhythmic gestures. Drawing on abstract expressionism, the artist’s mark-making is direct and intuitive, mediated by the application of colour. It is Dolan’s intention, through her role as intermediary, that emotive action achieves form. This series is from her latest exhibition, Pulse, showcased at Sanderson Contemporary, Auckland.
Dolan’s process involves unique single-edition monotype prints created on a traditional printmaking press, which has been customised for the artist and is currently the largest printing press in use in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dolan’s practice hinges on the process-driven nature of monotype printing. The works materialise the very moment before the printing takes place; the artist applies multiple layers of ink onto the printing plate, followed by a subtractive process of removing ink from its surface. Once rolled, the image transfers cannot be recreated, making every print unique. Each work is titled to encapsulate its creative voyage, reflecting the HEX colour code, press cycles, and tools used within its artistic amalgamation.
Corrupting the use of digital billboards for Art turns the cityscape into an art gallery, which everyone gets to experience. ––Art Ache
Rhythm Loop, 2025. By Zara Dolan. Photograph by Ryan Patrick. Courtesy of Sanderson Contemporary
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
About The Artist
Zara Dolan B. 1985 Ireland
Lives and works in Ōtautahi–Christchurch, Aotearoa-New Zealand
Zara Dolan was the winner of the Merit Award for Printmaking with the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards, presented by the Waikato Society of Arts 2024. She is a finalist for the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts Award in Wellington later this year.
Dolan completed her Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury (ILAM) in 2021. She previously studied a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff and a BA (Honours) Degree in Fine Arts at Sligo Institute of Technology, Ireland.
Zara Dolan,#0097FF–2–S,and#0083F3–2–S, 2023. Monotype prints on Wet Strength Cartridge paper, 970mm x 740mm. Framed. For available works, please contact Sanderson Contemporary.
About Art Ache
Since 2012, Art Ache has been promoting New Zealand artists and their work using experiential marketing. An artist-centric movement, Art Ache aims to translate the complexities of creative expression into engaging experiences for everyday citizens, to enrich their daily lives.
Art Ache believes that a strong connection with its cultural ambassadors is at the core of every healthy, happy society.
Founded by Aimée Ralfini, Art Ache has worked with, supported, and promoted hundreds of New Zealand artists and their work, from emerging to our most revered. Art Ache is an artist-led not-for-profit iniative.
This Exhibition has been made possible by LUMO Digital Outdoor. Art Ache and Digital billboard company LUMO have been collaborating since 2017. Both share the same vision of using digital spaces to communicate non-advertorial concepts. Using Outdoor interactive technology allows Art Ache and artists to dream big when creating art for the digital medium.
Documentation photography by Zara Dolan, Aimee Ralfini, and Ryan Patrick. Courtesy of Sanderson Contemporary and Art Ache.
