South African born New Zealand artist Anneke Bester was accepted into art school at the age of sixteen and then went onto study theatre and have a successful career in commercial and film sculpture all over the world. In 2020 she was commissioned to create a permanent installation for Hamilton Gardens, based on Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Content is a stunning small piece celebrating femininity. With a beautiful patina, the piece is a balanced and engaging addition. This sculpture is from her 2018 series Solace of the Soul, which celebrates female strength. In other pieces, the women she creates are draped in fabric, accentuating the female form but also exploring elements of modesty and what that means to different people.

In Out of Bounds, Anneke is celebrating femininity and movement with strength and energy. Out of Bounds challenges and engages the viewer with its seductive pose that is also athletic, contemplative and balanced.

Anneke is inspired by the balance created in ballet poses, which create lines across the body that celebrate the female form. Her works are cast in bronze yet appear to defy gravity, with the expressive forms and sensual poses. Nothing is hidden away in her works, only celebrated.

Anneke’s small sculptures are highly expressive, and confident. It is clear for the viewer to see that she wishes to convey an appreciation for feminine energy, and she does this through the use of Renaissance elements. Each piece create is a one-off, entirely unique.