'Bold and exciting' artwork on show

Te Marunui Hotene often upcycles and chooses unlikely canvases to work on, such as dilapidated trampolines and nikau palm fronds. Photo/supplied

Te Marunui Hotene (Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Awa) is a talent to watch out for.

Recipient of the New Zealand Children's Art House Foundation Trust Iti Waewae Award for 2016, his self-titled exhibition Te Marunui Hotene opens with a public event at Zeus Gallery on Saturday, August 27. His work will be on show until Saturday, September 10.

"Te Marunui is exploding onto the art scene with good reason. He is one of the most creatively ingenious artists I have ever had the pleasure of working with," say Zeus Gallery director Elliot Mason. "His work is bold and exciting, with an established and recognisable style that is very rare to see for an artist so early on in their career."

Hotene's paintings and digital prints are figurative works rendered in a fresh, expressive style, informed by Kiwi culture and pop art influences. Hotene often upcycles and chooses unlikely canvases to work on, such as dilapidated trampolines and nikau palm fronds. These materials reflect his artistic concerns.

"I see my work as an agent of change, promoting sustainability and balanced lifestyles as non-ethnic, universal values," says Hotene.

Art is in the blood, and Hotene was exposed to creative influences early, with his father Hoani Hotene being a carver and mother Eliza Hotene a weaver.

Born and raised in Whakatane, Hotene now resides in Taneatua, gateway to the Ureweras in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Hotene has a studio in Taneatua Gallery, where he recently completed a collaborative painting with artist and political activist Tame Iti. Hotene graduated with a Bachelor of Media Arts from Wintec in Hamilton, with first class honours in 2014.

The artist's work has featured in many exhibitions since 2014, Creative Waikato, Casbah Gallery and Auteur House in Hamilton, before he had his first solo exhibition titled CHUR at the Taneatua Gallery in 2015.

His work was recently involved in the Public Domain Art Fair Demo Space in Auckland and Arts Revealed, a group show at the Whakatane Museum. The artist's work is sitting alongside many nationally acclaimed contemporary visual artists at Calder & Lawson Gallery at the University of Waikato. The exhibition Katharsis, curated by Craig McClure and Matt Blomeley, will be available for public viewing until September 30.

Hotene is a youth mentor for Tuhoe Hauora, works with young people in the Taneatua and wider community, and is studying towards a Bachelor of Te Reo Maori at Anamata in Taneatua, as well as a Masters of Fine Arts at Wintec.

Hotene was selected to represent Mirage Gallery, Parnell, in an artist residency programme called Te Arerenga Project. He will reside in Rarotonga for a month in a sustainable village to create a body of work to be shown in Mirage Gallery after his residence.

He aims to continue his studies by completing a PhD in Cultural/Media studies at Auckland University in 2017.

the fine print
What: Te Marunui Hotene Exhibition
Where: Zeus Gallery, 35 Chapel Street
When: Saturday, August 27, 5pm
More details: Phone 079269208 or email zeusgallery@gmail.com