Cam Munroe

Visual Artist
Kāpiti Coast

Cam Munroe is a contemporary artist based in Kāpiti, New Zealand, whose richly layered mixed media paintings explore themes of time, memory and human presence. Using acrylic, ink and oil, she builds and erodes her compositions through a process of layering, scraping back and etching into the surface. Inspired by ancient landscapes, prehistoric sites and symbolic markings, her abstract works evoke forms that feel both historic and strangely familiar.

Munroe works slowly and intuitively, allowing each painting to develop over time. Through techniques such as impasto, wire brushing and sanding, she reveals textured surfaces that suggest traces of memory and place. Her motifs often appear like contemporary hieroglyphs, inviting viewers to interpret the quiet space between light and shadow, presence and absence, and the seen and the felt.

Originally from Australia, Munroe studied fine arts in Sydney before relocating to New Zealand in 1994. Over more than three decades she has developed a distinctive abstract practice and has been a finalist in numerous awards including the Parkin Drawing Prize, Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards, COCA Anthony Harper Award, Craigs Aspiring Art Awards, New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards, and the Walker and Hall Waiheke Art Awards. Her work is held in public and private collections in New Zealand and internationally, including the Wallace Arts Trust.