Galleria provides colour in our community

Martyn Evans with his painting Art in the Park. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The Rotorua Lakes Council Galleria will be a kaleidoscope of colour tomorrow night for the official opening of the Colour in our Community exhibition.

The fifth exhibition in the Galleria since December 2014 features 24 paint and sculpture works from seven local artists all focusing on the main theme of 'colour'.

Community arts officer Marc Spijkerbosch sent out a call for local creatives to submit colourful, vibrant works to be on sale and displayed in the Council Galleria.

"I really wanted to bring the space to life. The colours will bring energy and interest to an otherwise austere space.

"I encourage the community to come and enjoy the exhibition. It's really great to see the talent we have in Rotorua," he said.

Martyn Evans, who was part of one of the first exhibitions in the Council Galleria, said he is really proud to have the opportunity to show his work here again.

"I have two canvas paintings in the exhibition that the community actually helped me paint during the Art in the Park event and the other three are a series that tell parts of the Maori creation story. I call them "Celestial Beings".

"My paintings have often been controversial in the past but that is what my work is all about, cultural storytelling through art," said Mr Evans.

Sculptor Peter Edwards says he is new to the public art scene but he was stoked for his first art showing to be in the Council's Galleria.

"I decided 14 years ago that I would do what I love and now here I am. I went to high school at Rotorua Boy's High and my art tutors Ted Bullmore and Ken Kendall really inspired me. A friend of my mother's Theo Schoon provided some priceless carving lessons while I was growing up.

"I decided to make my profession official so I'm currently attending Waiariki Institute of Technology undertaking a Bachelor degree in Creative Art Technology.

"Mamaku, the greenstone fern, took me four months to carve. The bronze orb it rests against represents the earth. It was my first attempt at cast bronzing. I'm pretty chuffed with how it turned out," said Mr Edwards.

The official exhibition opening will take place tomorrow Friday June 17 2016 at 5pm and will be open to the public to view during Council opening hours.