Amber wins PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR SECOND TIME Art with a message is at the core of the annual Estuary Art and Ecology Awards, hosted by Uxbridge Arts & Culture and the winner of this year’s People’s Choice category has clearly conveyed her environmental message to exhibition visitors. Amber Adams talked to JESMA MAGIIL about her thought-provoking art work. JU1779
The people have voted: Amber Adams’ painting, Birdlife of the Tamaki Estuary: Changing Tides was judged the most popular entry in the 2020 Estuary Art and Ecology Prize and it’s easy to see why.
Birdlife: Changing Tides is executed in acrylic, oils, metallic leaf and polyurethane. The leaf symbolises the pollution of the soil and polyurethane represents tributyltin, or TBE, which is found in anti-fouling paint.
Birdlife is not only visually appealing, evoking local iconic imagery, it also packs a strong emotional punch with its environmental message, one which is fundamental to the exhibition’s purpose as the only art competition in New Zealand with ecology as its prime focus.
“I wanted to depict the estuary in a way where the landform itself hasn’t altered over some 7000 years, but that the way we treat it has changed significantly. The estuary has become a busy thoroughfare for boats and the surrounding banks and land are now built-up with industrial sites and housing.
Birdlife: Changing Tides shows the estuary’s typography, overlaid with imagery that resonates with Kiwis’ love for the environment. The over-scaled and prominent stars of the work however, are sadly, the endangered native sea birds that live on and around the estuary.
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For as long as she can remember the Tamaki Estuary has been important to Amber: “I grew up on the estuary, we played there and I’ve always been inspired by its form. It’s devastating to see the state that it’s in now.”
“The birdlife is an integral part of the natural balance of the estuary but over time this has greatly diminished due to high levels of pollution. Chemicals and plastics now threaten this beautiful body of water and its tributaries.” Asked to submit a piece for the awards, Amber appreciated the nudge especially given her passion for the environment. She completed her entry during the country’s first Covid-19 lockdown. The People’s Choice award is sponsored by The Rice Family www.eastlife.co.nz
