Four new exhibitions will be adorning the walls of Ōamaru’s Forrester Gallery from this Saturday (November 4).

Traversing the realms of the real and the fantastical, Marie Strauss’s exhibition Between Existence and Enchantment is a multimedia experience of farm life.

Born in South Africa, Marie moved to Aotearoa in the 1990s and now lives and works on the Taieri Plain, Dunedin.

Her exhibition – set in the gallery’s two main downstairs spaces – documents and depicts the reality of prey animals, drawing a connection with the fate of the mystical unicorn whose rarity made it the ultimate prize. The exhibition runs until January 21.

Between Existence and Enchantment showcases Marie’s ability to tell stories using paint, clay and etchings.

“Drawing is at the heart of etching and painting, which I have always done, and I love working with clay, I find it very meditative,” Marie said of her mixed-media work.

By juxtaposing the tangible with the intangible, the fleeting with the perpetual, Marie invites viewers to contemplate, connect and embrace the intricacies of farm life – and life in general.

Upstairs in the gallery, Gravel Road is local artist John Mitchell’s examination, through the mediums of graphite and oil pastels, of the situation of the natural world.

John intends to provoke thought and question assumptions with his work.

“For me, the act of drawing requires courage and a willingness to take risks, to challenge perceptions of the human condition,” he said. The exhibition is on until January 28.

Suzanne Hood-Everett's Colours of Freedom is a vibrant exhibition to celebrate the start of summer.

Situated in the upstairs Community Gallery, Suzanne’s series of oil paintings explores the themes of acceptance, endurance, loyalty and love, and runs until December 10.

While, in the intimate Vault Gallery, Cari Quinn’s showcase In the Doghouse commemorates the bond between human and dog, celebrating the playful nature of our canine friends through a series of ceramic hounds, on show until January 28.