Reinholt spent 27 years of the 40 years she lived overseas in the Middle East. Her work is constantly informed by the experience of leaving her homeland as a child and existing simultaneously in two worlds since returning to New Zealand.
Reinholt has always dabbled with photography, pen, pencil and paint and her works always question and address global issues of conflict, cultural dislocation and social breakdown, as well as the realities of flight, exile and homelessness. Fortunately, the human spirit is hard to break and she tries to respond by showing the light in dark places, the shades in the blackness that feel like colour. It makes sense and gives relevance to why she paints at all, to honour and tell stories of people close to her heart, least she forget…
Here a few of the works from Julia’s recent What I Can’t Put in Words exhibition in July 2017.
About the Artist
Born in Wellington, Julia went to school in Beirut Lebanon from 1959 – 1972, then as the civil war broke out, she went to London for further education from 1974- 1978.
She lived and worked in Austria for nearly ten years, before moving back to the Middle East with her husband and 11 month old daughter in 1986. The landscapes, the history, the architect and the people inspired Julia to photograph and paint . Twenty seven of the forty years away from the land of her birth, were spent in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank. The roller coaster of everyday life in that regrion of the world, which swings between elation and despair, started translating Julia emotions into paintings, much of it stored until returning to New Zealand in 1999. She continues to paint from those experiences and memories today, eighteen years after returning home.
Palestinian landscapes, once serene and tranquil dotted with olive groves and sheep, were rapidly disappearing under urban sprawl, settlements and bypass roads .Photographs and sketches became Julia’ s way of etching history in her mind, a record and a valuable source to draw from.
Julia ‘s photographs and articles were published in the Jordan Times and other English publications. First prize for “The Friends of Archaeology” Photography Competition in Amman in 1994 encouraged her to pursue her love for photography and she was soon exhibiting regularly at “The Gallery” in the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman. Subjects ranged from architecture to landscape, portraiture and to underwater photography in Jordan and neighbouring West Bank & East Jerusalem.
In Northland, she has participated in many local exhibitions .
In 2001 Julia opened Kaan Zamaan Gallery in Kemp Road, then moved to Kerikeri Road in 2002 . The gallery hosted monthly exhibitions showing emerging and established artists from the Northland region , and Julia exhibited herself when she found time . Her first exhibition was entitled” Same Difference” in 2008 , her second ” Coming Home ” with Sally Bristow in 2013 and then a small exhibition with Lee Brogan & Ludek Adamek in 2015 when the gallery relocated upstairs on Hobson Avenue.
Julia’s painting ” Wien” judged by Jonn Gow, was selected as a finalist in the BDO Drawing and Painting Awards at the Turner Centre in November 2010 – see mention in link at top of page –
The gallery moved downstairs to street level in the winter of 2015. Kaan Zamaan continued having monthly exhibitions until August 2017, but moving forward with a new name and location, exhibitions will continue at a more leisurely pace, offering clients an ongoing quality experience in a very different setting.
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