Llenyd’s practice resides around temporary interactions with mental-health, through a predominantly painting-based practice. Their recent solo shows include Sanderson Contemporary gallery (2023) and Window gallery, UoA (2021). Group shows include Bergman gallery (2023) and RM gallery (2022).
Llenyd relocated from Hamilton to study for a BFA at Whitecliffe and was able to complete further study for an MFA whilst residing back in Hamilton due to unique seminar-based, distance model Whitecliffe offers for its MFA Programme. He states:
“My initial interest was to become an art teacher at Secondary school but felt as though my real passion was really for making art. Whitecliffe’s MFA programme pushed me to see the possibilities of being an artist and making that a full-time job, a seemingly impossible dream made possible. The MFA set up tools to apply my art for commercial settings, artist run galleries and also publicly funded spaces. With shows around Aotearoa, I hope to take the knowledge gained from both my BFA and MFA at Whitecliffe to further expand my art practice, reaching wider audiences.”
The Whitecliffe MFA provides students with individual supervisors who are either professionally exhibiting artists, academics, art writers or a combination of these. They help to facilitate an emerging and sustainable professional practice over 2 years. Through 8 week-long seminars, students are connected to the local and global art world via faculty and guest lectures and workshops; gallery and studio visits; and group critiques or assessments of their own work in progress, culminating in a public exhibition and contextual publication.
