LEGENDARY INSPIRATION

Further afield in Wigram is the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, an aviation wonderland with a range of historical aircraft on display. The museum also hosts regular special exhibitions.

Riccarton’s Bryce Gallery has opened a central-city exhibition space in Hereford Street. The new gallery hosts a carefully curated collection of paintings and sculptural works.

Bryce Gallery’s new premises in Ohoka is a real house, which is very helpful for those browsing the exhibitions and refined selection of purchasable artworks, trying to decide how a piece might look in their own home. Open Fridays and weekends with more than 100 artworks on display and in storage, and a steady stream of new arrivals mean there is always a fresh selection to browse.

Located in the old library in the Arts Centre, The Central showcases works from established contemporary New Zealand artists. Notable for exhibition openings and art groups, The Central is a great place to stay a while and view sensational art.

In Gloucester Street, just down the road from the Isaac Theatre Royal, Fiksate Gallery is a hub for urban and contemporary street art, the only gallery of its kind in New Zealand. The artists behind the space were part of the street art revival that permeated Christchurch’s broken cityscape post-quakes, and are now proud to give a platform to urban street artists, who help make Christchurch a world street art destination.

Q&A: Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine LEGENDARY INSPIRATION

05 — Vaka ’a Hina

The sculptor talks about the influences behind his work in central-city Rauora Park.

What was the inspiration behind your sculpture Vaka ’a Hina? Vaka ’a Hina was inspired by the legend of Hina and her many voyages to the moon. In the Moana Nui pantheon, Hina is the goddess of the moon, tapa-making, weaving and sharks. She is the matriarch of the famous Māui clan and the guardian of night-time navigation. Did you always intend to create a sculpture of this scale? Every new sculpture seems to be slightly bigger than the one before. The last sculpture was two metres shorter in height and one metre narrower in overall width. For this one there has been no change in the original size since its inception. How long did you work on this project? It took about two years, beginning in March 2017. How has your experience and rich cultural environment influenced the sculpture? Very highly influenced. I would be denying it if I say it does not. The path I have walked will continue to influence the decisions I make. You have experience across a number of multi-media disciplines, including architecture and sculpture. Is there any discipline you prefer or find yourself dedicating more time to? This is a tough one. My cultural background dictates that all my disciplines will be under the genre ‘art’, which are all governed by a work of art being useful, meaningful and beautiful. If I was an accountant, when the ledger is balanced that is a form of art that it is useful, meaningful and beautiful. At this point in time, I would say I am enjoying the discipline of architecture as a challenge in both practice and an academic sense. Do you have any current projects? Yes, there are a number of new exciting projects I am working on. What’s your favourite piece of art currently in the city? There are a few. To choose just one, it would be STAY by Antony Gormley. What’s on high rotation on your playlist? 2Pac, ‘Only God Can Judge Me’. It shows my age. scapepublicart.org.nz