Jenny Doležel's work is an exploration of the psychological territory that exists between the real and the imagined.She says some of the biggest influences on her came from cartoons in Czech newspapers, posted to her family in Auckland by her grandparents.

She observes: ‘Colour is a prominent formal element I employ to characterise and stage the “performance” – the often garish costuming gives a sense of character but can work either in harmony or in discord with the dynamics playing out.’

Jenny Doležel refuses to confirm or deny any personal, autobiographical component in this work – or any others by her. ‘All my work relates to me in some form but never directly from my life events. It deals with ideas of power and what is concealed in the dynamics and characters.

Jenny Doležel has spent much of the past 25 years living and working in Europe, but since 2010 more time in New Zealand. She explains: ‘My life and work took me to Germany in 1989 with a scholarship and now I’m currently based in France, working on commissions and preparing for exhibitions. My work still involves the same interests and dynamics that my practice has always been about.’