Dark Botanica is an exhibition of three New Zealand artists Meredith Collins, Jinx in the Sky and Melissa McDougall. It will be a unique and distinctively New Zealand exhibition featuring romantic female portraits and native Nature Mortes. Dark Botanica explores themes of immigration, 20th century collecting and European Botanica art as well as a reverence for native wildlife and Maori mythology. These beautiful paintings are influenced by botanical illustration such as Bullers Birds and Captain Cooks official painter William Hodgeson's magestic sea scapes and the Jane Campion film-The Piano. These themes are interpreted by each artists own experience of immigration, New Zealand identities and a desire to depict and preserve native flora and fauna. Meredith Collins beautiful paintings investigate themes of portraiture, Maori identity, immigration, family and interiority. Jinx in the Sky is a young Austrian artist residing in Wellington whose illustrative paintings are infused with myth, dreams and the beauty of the natural world. Melissa McDougall is a Dunedin born artist and curator of Irish decent whose sensual paintings depict nature morte, historical female portraits influenced by Maori mythology and NZ botanical art. Dark Botanica is at Thistle Hall, Cuba street and runs from the 8th of April to the15th of April -2013 Opening night-Monday 8th of April-6.30 to 8.00pm. Opening hours-9.30 to 4pm  weekdays.