Diane Eleanor Stoppard
Diane Stoppard is a Taranaki-born photographer, printmaker, and mixed media artist known for her distinctive work in pinhole photography, portraiture, and camera obscura installations. With over 40 years’ experience as a portrait photographer, Diane developed her unique UpClose portrait style using a purpose-designed lightbox to create intimate, beautifully lit images. Her work often explores themes of memory, colonisation, and the layered histories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s landscapes. Combining techniques such as encaustic wax, embossed screen printing, and photograms, Diane’s art bridges past and present, inviting reflection through both image and process. Career highlights include leading the creation of Whangarei’s iconic Camera Obscura sculpture and exhibiting her portraits in the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in 2025.
Diane’s CV - Recent highlights
2025 Me Anga Whakamua - Facing the Future NZ Portrait Gallery, Wellington
2024 Draft – exhibition with Sandy Connon & Ellie Smith @ The Shutter Room, Whangarei
2023 The Hole World - guest speaker at International Pinhole Forum
2023 Te Whanganui-a-Tara Lamina - Toru Gallery, Days Bay, Wellington
2022 1964 magazine - 6 page spread of South Island pinholes
2021 Photoforum NZ - John Turner article: https://www.photoforum-nz.org/blog/2021/2/20/zidas0zoci1has2padeyt9jvuvfi9u
2021 Me Anga Whakamua - Facing the Future book published with Janet Hetaraka
2020 Photoforum NZ - John Turner: https://www.photoforum-nz.org/blog/2021/2/21/the-light-is-inconsolable
2020 Whangarei’s Camera Obscura Sculpture opens Nov 2020 - Honourable mention in the Architecture International Master Prize
2020 Me Anga Whakamua - Facing the Future Hihiaua Cultural Centre
2020 The Light is Inconsolable - . Exhibition and book launch November 2020 at Hangar Gallery, Whangarei
2019 Taranaki - Warp & Weft : Exhibition at The Fenton Street Gallery, Taranaki and The Koru Gallery, New Plymouth, Taranaki
