Arts Festival: Forty years in the making

Havelock North-based sculptor Ricks Terstappen. Photo/Supplied

This year's Harcourts Hawke's Bay Arts Festival will see the region's favourite sculptor present a survey exhibition covering four decades of creative output.

Dutch-born, Havelock North-based Ricks Terstappen's show Sjvoefkanelly (a word made up by the artist's father, meaning "a bit of everything") will fill both floors of the Hastings Community Arts Centre on Russell St from October 2 to 26.

Terstappen has been working hard on new pieces to sit alongside older works.

Early pieces of note include a rustic wooden fertility totem made in the early 1980s, a life-size wedding dress chandelier from around 10 years ago and an assortment of Corten and mild steel free-standing and wall-hanging sculptures featuring familiar bird and floral shapes.

Known as a champion of the found object, Terstappen often works with salvaged or disused items, breathing new life into the forgotten. Many of the new pieces he has created for the exhibition have been formed using parts of his own abandoned artworks or elements collected may years ago and set aside in his steel treasure trove workshop.

Together, the older and new works tell the story of Terstappen's relationship to this place and his role as collaborator in Hawke's Bay's artistic community.

A colour palette of rust, off-white and steel promises a weighty, cohesive atmosphere for viewers to explore the range of varied and often humorous pieces which tell stories and ask questions.

Locals will recognise the "Terstappen aesthetic" from large-scale public works, from the installation of godwits at Hawke's Bay Airport (in collaboration with Jacob Scott) to the sculptural signage on the Community Arts Centre.

As a special addition to Sjvoefkanelly, contemporary artist Ben Pearce will exhibit work that was part of Christchurch's outdoor sculpture celebration SCAPE 2018.

Pearce has built a strong reputation throughout New Zealand for his thought-provoking sculptural work, often exploring memory.

His journey in sculpture began when he moved to Hawke's Bay as a BFA graduate, to train and work at Cicada Studios, the shared design incubator set up by Terstappen, David Trubridge, Ross Mackay and William Jameson in the early 2000s.

The exhibition opening for Sjvoefkanelly takes place next Tuesday evening, October 1, at
the Hastings Community Arts Centre.

For further information visit www.hbaf.co.nz