Claudia Aalderink is a Kihikihi based artist and the face behind The Mandarin Tree.

Claudia, originally from Holland, has lived with her family in New Zealand since 2005. “The opportunities we have had since we moved here have been life changing”

​

Claudia has always had an interest in re-using and recycling material for artworks and in 2012 she came in contact with a large number of discarded beehives meant for firewood. Without hesitation she started exploring this new medium by disassembling them and revealing the beautiful character of the boxes in a new lease of life. “Each piece has their own story and I love the honesty of the material. I don’t hide any of the ‘scars’ created over time. They merely add to the final outcome of a piece”.

​

Within a reduced visual vocabulary of circles, squares, rectangles, and lines, Claudia explores the subtlety of colour, scale, and composition creating original pieces of art.  

Working from her Kihikihi workshop Claudia is constantly creating new work for upcoming exhibitions, supplying her own gallery or working on commissioned pieces.

​

Claudia is a forerunner in her design and constantly reinventing the possibilities of her medium. Balancing the tricky combination of running a gallery and creating her own works. Predominately using recycled beehives, Claudia's work is a cohesive blend of texture and colour.

​

In October 2014 Claudia's adventures with The Mandarin Tree took off when she opened her own Art Gallery in Gordonton. Selling 100% NZ made art and featuring a large variety of New Zealand artists including her own beehive artworks, paintings, ceramics, jewellery and sculptures has ensured a solid platform for artists.

Through her gallery she works with both established and emerging artists.

​

Contact Claudia for more information about her work or custom-made pieces.

 

​

​

 

​