Term 4 Week 1: Daborah Crowe + Filipe Tohi

Our class had another great seminar by practicing artist and fellow tutor Deborah Crowe who talked was about the importance of collaboration and building around the body. We also took a trip over to the Mangere Arts Centre to see Tongan sculpture artist Filipe Tohi latest exhibition "Fatuemaka Mei Falekafa" which he shows his skills as a sculpture through his stone artworks.

First Deborah Crowe, Principal lecturer of the school talked a little about her background and her ideals in art. Her ideal as a practitioner and not an artist got me into her talk as she explains to the class the reasons. She tells us that to her "My work is about doing it, not create". She also likes to very opened about her practice, expanding from fashion, jewelry, Installation and crafts. Her ideas behind her works is "wanting to construct things" and as a practitioner she says relationship and construction are two important things to think about cause you got to get feedbacks from dealers, artists, students etc. to help you develop and grow as an artist. I also see her artwork referencing architecture with a lot construction of lines made out of find materials, creating an abstract productive objects. Her 2005 installation work "construct" is an inventive of interior space within household using normal architect matrials such as timber, glass and acrylic.

I really loved the "Fatuemaka Mei Falakafa" exhibition, thought Filipe Tohi work were astounding and inspiring as a fellow Tongan. I Thought his stone sculptures had unique features that correspond with each stone names. Being a Tongan I felt I had an advantage over my fellow classmates with knowing the meaning/definition behind each stone sculpture name but was more amused with Tohi being there with curator James Pinker giving an introduction of the gallery space and exhibition. It was a great pleasure meeting Tohi in person and getting more incite behind his works with a lot of questions that he happily answered and explained using some of the classmates favorite artworks like Tohi 2008 "Makamatakupenga". In simple english translation "Rock face fishing net". The stone is supposed to represent fishing net and I know because fishing is one of many typical Tongan hobbies. He told us that it takes him 15 mins to patiently carves a line and smoothing it out after he carves out the square forms. Just by looking at the artwork I notice that he carves a square within a square until its small, resulting a negative squared carving shapes.

http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/whats-on-show-reviews/2011/apr/83746-deborah-crowe-fancywork (Deborah: Fancywork)

http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2011/sep/mangere/sopolemalama-filipe-tohi-fatumaka-mei-falekafa (Information on exhibition "Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi: Fatue Mei Fatuemaka")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhgBWOWmilI (Pacific Beat Street: Filipe Tohi)