OPEN at Lake House Arts

Children unleashed their creative talents at the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna this weekend as part of OPEN, a North Shore community Arts Festival.

It was really inspiring to see how odds and ends , bits of fabric, clothes pegs, pipe cleaners, paper and glue were enough to motivate them to make some delightful art. Upcycling in action!

Petite Story Opening at the Lake House Arts Centre

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..

The photos on this page were taken at the Lake House Arts Centre opening.

Lines and Circles by Ellie-Fa'amauri Firisua

This stunning artwork is by contemporary Solomon island artist Ellie-Fa'amauri Firisua, now living in New Zealand . It is one of a small exhibition of her paintings, in which she explores issues of cultural identity, at the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna from March 3-March 22 2015. 

I love the feeling of depth created by the criss crossing cylinders floating over an intensely blue ocean.It communicates to me the strength as well as the peacefulness of women in a global and often troubled environment.

The circular shape and patterns come from the kapkap, a traditional shell disc head ornament. But she was also inspired by the overlapping stalks on a flax bush so in this painting she bridges two cultures. The first her place of birth, the Solomon islands, and the second her place of education, New Zealand where she graduated from AUT with a Bachelor Degree in Visual Arts.