Last week I was at the opening of Petite Story, an art exhibition by Isabelle Staron-Tutugoro at the Lake House Arts centre. She spoke eloquently about how her new series of artworks marks her fiftieth birthday as well as being a tribute to her grandmother Lucie who has greatly supported and inspired her before taking us on a visual journey to explain the ideas behind her prints and mixed media paintings.
Inspired by her husband's Kanak culture she has celebrated its history and incorporated symbols found in ancient petroglyphs, Lapita pottery and engraved bamboo. But there are other influences as well from around the Pacific as well as petroglyphs from France, her country of birth and traces of family history such as a marriage certificate, letters written during WW1 and mementos from travels.
On entering the gallery it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the large body of work with its profusion of symbols and words layered against backgrounds of golden yellow, vivid red and orange. But as she spoke I was able to begin to decipher the meanings behind her work and appreciate the depth of her artistic journey. And the French wines and delectable French cheeses, as well as mingling with other art lovers made for a most enjoyable evening.
It was a reminder that seeing artworks at first hand in a gallery rather than on the Internet and meeting the artist in person is a much more real and satisfactory experience then connecting with them on Facebook or other social media. As Jason Landry put it so well in the Huffington Post
Fact: There is definitely a different experience meeting someone in person, rather than just looking at their photograph on a website. Just ask the thousands who think they have found their soul mate on sites like Match.com, and then realize they look nothing like their picture when they finally meet up for a date. The same goes true for looking at and experiencing a piece of art in a gallery. Before you click that 'buy' button on one of those online websites that sell art, go visit and support your local art galleries and experience what can happen. You may just be surprised at what you see, whom you meet, and what you will learn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-landry/why-galleries-are-importa_b_4074202.html
The exhibition runs for 3 weeks at the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna, Auckland from3-22 March.
After this exhibition, Isabelle will travel extensively to exhibit her work: April in Lyon (France); July in Port Vila (Vanuatu) at the 8th International Lapita Conference and Poindimié (New Caledonia); September in Samoa (Vanya Taule'alo Gallery); November in Koumac (New Caledonia); December in Galerie Arte Bello, Noumea (New Caledonia).In 2016, she will exhibit at the Alliance Française of Melbourne, Australia..
Inspired by her husband's Kanak culture she has celebrated its history and incorporated symbols found in ancient petroglyphs, Lapita pottery and engraved bamboo. But there are other influences as well from around the Pacific as well as petroglyphs from France, her country of birth and traces of family history such as a marriage certificate, letters written during WW1 and mementos from travels.
On entering the gallery it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the large body of work with its profusion of symbols and words layered against backgrounds of golden yellow, vivid red and orange. But as she spoke I was able to begin to decipher the meanings behind her work and appreciate the depth of her artistic journey. And the French wines and delectable French cheeses, as well as mingling with other art lovers made for a most enjoyable evening.
It was a reminder that seeing artworks at first hand in a gallery rather than on the Internet and meeting the artist in person is a much more real and satisfactory experience then connecting with them on Facebook or other social media. As Jason Landry put it so well in the Huffington Post
Fact: There is definitely a different experience meeting someone in person, rather than just looking at their photograph on a website. Just ask the thousands who think they have found their soul mate on sites like Match.com, and then realize they look nothing like their picture when they finally meet up for a date. The same goes true for looking at and experiencing a piece of art in a gallery. Before you click that 'buy' button on one of those online websites that sell art, go visit and support your local art galleries and experience what can happen. You may just be surprised at what you see, whom you meet, and what you will learn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-landry/why-galleries-are-importa_b_4074202.html
The exhibition runs for 3 weeks at the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna, Auckland from3-22 March.
After this exhibition, Isabelle will travel extensively to exhibit her work: April in Lyon (France); July in Port Vila (Vanuatu) at the 8th International Lapita Conference and Poindimié (New Caledonia); September in Samoa (Vanya Taule'alo Gallery); November in Koumac (New Caledonia); December in Galerie Arte Bello, Noumea (New Caledonia).In 2016, she will exhibit at the Alliance Française of Melbourne, Australia..
The photos on this page were taken at the Lake House Arts Centre opening.
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