There’s more than first meets the eye at the first He Waka Tuia exhibition for the year.

Joint exhibitions The Art of the Flower by Rod Eales and Potion by Anita DeSoto opened on Saturday.

He Waka Tuia manager Sarah Brown said both exhibitions offered fresh perspectives and a deeper meaning than first glance.

DeSoto’s pieces are large Baroque-style paintings, which give an alternative view of gender roles, while Eales’ depicts flowers from her garden in various stages of their life cycle, representing the fragility of life.

“The more time you spend looking at these paintings, the more details you notice. I see something new every time I look at them.

“There aren’t as many pieces as our usual exhibitions, but these are larger and we’ve given visitors plenty of room to view.”

Brown said it was a strong show to start the year with, offering a vibrant and quiet space to take in the art.

The Art of the Flower and Potion will run until 9 March at He Waka Tuia in Don St. All art works are for sale and there will be some accompanying events running alongside the exhibition.

More details on the exhibition and events can be found on the He Waka Tuia website here.