Michael Dell takes significant films from New Zealand contemporary cinema as a thematic basis for his ‘Distant Pictures’ series, where the colors in each work refer to a shot from the opening sequence of his chosen films. This work references Heavenly Creatures, a 1994 film by director Peter Jackson.

Dell also draws inspiration from physical elements of cinema, such as the image frame, the light of the projector beam, and imperfections that appear on celluloid film. Traces of Dell’s process, of adding and removing numerous layers, remain on the picture surface in the form of fine lines, subtle textures, and a darkness he builds up on the picture’s edge.