forget-me-not : Reflections

To honour Alzheimer’s Awareness month uou.label is hosting a second opportunity to view his totemic ‘forget-me-not’ series. 

This series comprises Six 750mm x 550mm fabric panels of painted & machine-embroidered flowers. Started in 2022 the works took more than two years and over five million stitches to complete before first exhibiting at Maggie’s Cafe in 2024.

Inspired by his late grandmother's battle with Alzheimer's disease the series focuses on a bed of forget-me-not flowers as they progressively wilt, break apart and disappear to re-form fully bloomed again at peace as her memory. 

Each piece is enchanting in it’s own right due to the variations in colour, texture and in the structural integrity of the flowers within the designs themselves - but seen together they unify into one work that tells that story of loss, change and hopeful rebirth that the artist and others with experience of Alzheimer’s will be familiar with. It’s a rare opportunity to see the work together in a space large enough to view them as one.

Followers of uou.label’s work will know that ‘forget-me-not’ was only the start of his journey with flowers. Many subsequent series of ‘blooms’ have since blossomed as that rebounding, re-evolving life force has continued its journey through the garden of life. Most recently the ‘Wildflowers’ series which debuted in early 2026 at the Dunedin Community Gallery before the artist made his first international excursion exhibiting further ‘Wildflowers’ works in Melbourne later in the year.

Alongside the Exhibition Only ‘forget-me-not’ pieces is a showcase of other works that have bloomed within these floral series. Available for sale for the first time is a new series ‘Reflections’ - five  pieces directly connected to the ‘forget-me-not’ series. Also available are new works in the ongoing ‘Wildflowers’ series and a selection of other work previously withheld from sale.

Come see the flowers and pause in the garden a while to remember who you can, while you can, then take your colours with you into the world and leave them to bloom in the memories of others.

Dunedin Community Gallery

26 Princes Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin

Opening night :
Friday September 11th
6:00pm

Exhibition Runs :
Saturday September 12th
10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday September 13th
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

10% of all artworks sold will be donated to Alzheimer’s New Zealand

Thanks to the Dunedin Community Gallery for having me again and to Louis for words.

check out Alzheimer’s New Zealand for more information and support in raising Alzheimer's awareness

A new bunch of Wildflowers are making their way across the ditch to be shown in Melbourne!

I'll be looking after the 15 piece exhibition over the weekend and more than happy to chat about the works - this will be my first show outside of Dunedin, NZ so come say gidday

All works displayed will be available for purchase at the show.

On display

ShopFront740
740 High St, Thornbury Melbourne

Opening night : Friday June 5th 6:30pm - 9pm.
Saturday June 6th : 10am - 6pm.
Sunday June 7th : 10am - 6pm.

My friend Louis wrote a lovely piece about the series which sums everything up so well. you can read a little of here :

“In 2024 uou.label exhibited 'Forget Me Not' a poignant introspection on Alzheimer's, memory loss & the passing away of life. This was accompanied by 'Into the Ether' and followed by 'Not Forgotten' which developed the theme of that spark of life continuing by passing on it's colour, shape or potential to new life.
The second bloom of Not Forgotten, 'White Moth' (2025), furthered the journey with the titular moth guiding the viewer through the images from darkness towards light, pollinating where it landed to bring forth the explosion of life in this third bloom of the series.

WILDFLOWERS is the most unrestrained entry in the sequence so far. The works stand alone with each one a unique interpretation of all this life at the crescendo of it's possibility. There's a boldness here with more emphasis on contrast & more experimentation with colour than ever before.”