Hybrid n. thing composed with incongruous elements. (From Concise Oxford Dictionary, sixth edition 1978.)
Hybridisation is a strengthening process commonly seen in plant breeding to improve yields and hardiness. In contemporary making, hybrid objects can bring together unexpected combinations of materials and ideas, creating a pleasing but sometimes unsettling aesthetic.
This exhibition examines objects and the creative practitioners who make them: sharing delight and wonder in sometimes strange but often beautiful objects; and providing inspiring and diverse role models through examination of the lives and work of “hybrid” makers and designers.
To be a designer-maker in these troubled times, strength and ferocity of purpose are definitely an asset. Those who embrace their materials exploration in brave ways, unafraid to juxtapose unusual and unlikely materials intrigue us, for the vigour of their approach and the pleasing surprises that eventuate. Similarly, the maker who is also a qualified engineer or a midwife is impressive for the breadth of knowledge s/he must have built up, and her/his ability to develop parallel capacities to deliver in very different fields. There is real power in a creative mind that is also able to address construction, management consultancy, medicine or some other specialist field with complete commitment and expertise. This exhibition celebrates three strong individuals and their work: Macarena Bernal, Alison Leauanae and Rowan Panther.
Crafting Hybrids is the second project I have curated for the galleries at University of Waikato’s Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, whose curator Cerys Davidson is a joy to work with. Thanks also to technician (and artist-designer) Dan Inglis who made the installation go very smoothly, and Alan Deare of Area Design for great graphics and cataloge design.
The exhibition catalogue can be downloaded HERE.
Images from top: Molotov Cocktail, 2022, by Macarena Bernal; Moemiti – Ono, 2025, by Alison Leauanae (photo by Cheska Brown); Wayfinding for the Disoriented, 2024. by Rowan Panther. All photos courtesy of the individual artists and copyright to them.
Liz Cooper 
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