MOVEMENT, MEMORY, AND MAKING
With a life shaped by travel, performance, and creativity, Rosina Kamphuis brings a dynamic, deeply expressive energy to her art practice.
Rosina first discovered her love for drawing as a young girl aboard The Waterman, the ship that carried her family from the Netherlands to New Zealand. She continued to draw and paint throughout her childhood, inspired by the art magazines her grandmother sent from overseas. Alongside her growing passion for visual art, Rosina studied ballet, modern dance, and drama – performing in Auckland theatre productions. Today, movement, colour, and dramatic expression remain signature elements in her creative work.
Her artistic journey has taken her across continents and disciplines. Returning to the Netherlands as a dancer aboard the Australis cruise ship, Rosina went on to choreograph and teach for amateur dance companies in Holland. During this time, she also began receiving painting and drawing commissions – interpreting the energy and culture of performance through visual form.
Rosina was also a founding member, team leader, and tutor at Atelier De Haagse School, an art centre in The Hague for students with intellectual disabilities – an initiative that continues to thrive today.
Returning to New Zealand with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Rosina introduced herself to the Auckland art scene with two exhibitions at Warwick Brown’s Portfolio Gallery and a mural tribute to iconic dancer Freda Stark, displayed on Civic Theatre hoardings – earning her a merit award from Nigel Brown. She went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts at Whitecliffe College, where she developed a new focus on printmaking – integrating drawing, painting, photography, and digital text to produce solar plate etchings for her Artist’s Book, Tribute.
Since moving to Mangawhai, Rosina has become an active member of Mangawhai Artists Inc. She initiated the popular Project Stingray, a hands-on community event that produced an art installation for the gallery’s outdoor wall. Its success led to a second project, Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush! One Moonlit Night, which transformed the gallery into a UV-lit bush scene of fluorescent works. She later collaborated with photographer and filmmaker Wayne George to create a film of the project, which premiered at Mangawhai Movies.
In 2024, Rosina launched her Open Studio Days – welcoming the public into her home studio on the last Saturday of each month. “Chat, browse, inspire and be inspired!” she says. With new works on display each time, visitors are invited to experience a practice that is ever-evolving and rooted in community connection.