Whanganui artist Keeley Eastwood's piece 'Beauty Burns Bright in Autumn Light'.
Whanganui artist Keeley Eastwood's piece 'Beauty Burns Bright in Autumn Light'.
Whanganui artist Keeley Eastwood has had her work featured as part of an international concert series aimed at bringing New Zealand art to the world.
Eastwood’s piece Beauty Burns Bright in Autumn Light is part of the multimedia piano concert called Catch 23.
The shows were organised by New Zealand-based,Taiwan-born pianist, cellist, author and festival organiser Sherry Grant, who is currently touring the show around Asia before bringing it to New Zealand in July, with plans to take it to Europe in the future.
For the concerts, Grant performs solo piano recitals of musical pieces by 23 New Zealand composers, with the work of a different New Zealand visual artist showcased alongside each piece.
Eastwood’s work will be shown alongside piece number 17, a song titled Leaves are Falling by Thomas Goss.
She said she got involved in the show when Grant sent her a Facebook message expressing interest in using Eastwood’s work for the concert as she had been looking online for artworks that matched the mood of the different pieces of music.
“As you can imagine, when you get messages nowadays it’s a bit like, ‘Is this for real?’”
After looking her up, Eastwood got on board with Grant’s creative spirit and vision for the show.
The concert is part of the lead-up to the International Katherine Mansfield 100 Festival, celebrating the life of the New Zealand-born writer on the 100th anniversary of her death.
Grant is the artistic director of the festival, and Eastwood said she was excited to have her work showcased internationally.
Sherry Grant will play piano at the Catch 23 concerts.
“The fact that my art is being shown internationally and it’s showcased in the midst of other artists ... and the fact that it’s part of the Katherine Mansfield centenary.
“It’s just a beautiful example of visual, literary and musical art all coming together to create something really positive.”
Her piece that is part of the show was created after a holiday she took to the Eastwoodhill Arboretum in Gisborne last year.
Of the works created from the trip, she said this one had particular emotional significance due to a dream her grandmother shared with her about her falling and being afraid of the pain of landing, but eventually landing on a pile of soft fallen leaves.
Her grandmother died when Eastwood was nine, but her telling of the dream stuck with her.
“I’ve just also held on to that dream, and I suppose it’s been in my subconscious,” she said.
Getting involved in the show made her consider the synchronicities between her holiday, the piece, the exhibition, the song it is being featured alongside and her grandmother’s dream.
“It just brought together all these little synchronicities happening.
“The links just kind of came up in my head, the memories of my grandma and the dream and the leaves.”
She was not sure if the show would come to Whanganui, but said Grant would perform it in either Whanganui or Palmerston North if she got the chance, with shows in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin secured.
She hoped to make it to one of the concerts in Aotearoa to hear the music tied to her piece and continue the connections.
Grant will perform in Whanganui in a separate concert called Muse Descending as part of a trio of musicians performing music inspired by Mansfield’s works for the centenary celebrations.
The concert is at 7.30pm at the War Memorial Centre on July 5, with tickets available from the Royal Whanganui Opera House or at the door.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
