The Exact Enigma showcases a significant donation of art works by renowned printmaker, Barry Cleavin, gifted by Ann and John Hercus in 2014 to The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū, Nelson.

Barry Cleavin has long been regarded as New Zealand’s foremost printmaker. The Exact Enigma presents a diverse range of his art works, which demonstrates his sophisticated use of symbolism, satire and humour, and technical mastery of various printmaking techniques. The exhibition features 44 Cleavin prints gifted to The Suter Collection by Ann and John Hercus in 2014. They developed their collection over four decades and it documents their long standing friendship with the artist. This collection was shown at The Suter in Nelson earlier this year; since that time, the Hercus’s have added another ten prints to the collection. Importantly, they selected specific prints from the artist’s catalogue, which were then specially printed by Cleavin. These will be shown for the first time in the Millennium Public Art Gallery exhibition.