A Place To Stand

An eclectic exhibition of mixed media artworks by artists Ngapo and Maika will be on display at the Redcliffe Cultural Centre in February.

The contemporary art exhibition, entitled Tūrangawaewae, the Māori word meaning 'A place to stand, is all about developing cultural works that talk to people about places we call home, places where our feet rest. Within this theme the artists' works explore community and connectivity. Artist Nina Maika, specialises in multicultural artworks and paintings, and she believes the exhibition will have meaning for everyone.

The simplicity of the message in the Māori art is the community connection, and this can be appreciated whatever culture you are apart of,� she says.

Nina says her creative process often involves allowing her artwork form organically without always having a concept for it in mind when she begins.

For this exhibition, I drew on anything and everything,� she says. Sometimes the best art is the most unplanned art.�

One of Nina's favourite pieces that will be featured is a door with a Goddess painted on it. The meaning behind this is that the Goddess connects us to our connectivity, which is symbolised through the door.

Nina says she has always known she had a passion for art. I have always been creative, I knew since the age of 6 or 7,� she says.

When she decided to take art seriously, she studied art in Sydney for two years. She started out doing lots of community-based art projects of varying sizes, then moved on to work for the city council, just as they were developing a city logo. After this, she painted murals for New South Wales railway stations, before coming to Brisbane. She has now lived in Redcliffe for 15 years.

Delwyn Ngapo, whose work will be exhibited alongside Nina's, also resides in Redcliffe. I would describe Ngapo's work as earthy and warm, like she has recorded the vibrations of the earth,� says Nina.

The exhibition will run from the 1st to the 26th February, from 9am to 4pm daily in the Redcliffe Cultural Centre. The art will be free to view and will be for sale as marked.