Source: NorthTec
Image: Isaiah Rameka, NorthTec arts graduate, on show at Megan Dickinson Gallery
Two NorthTec Applied Arts graduates are showing their work at Whangārei’s Megan Dickinson Gallery in an exhibition which opened on Friday.
Printmaker, Jolene Pascoe, and painter, Isaiah Rameka, launched Printer Painter at the opening event at the gallery in Rust Avenue.
Both were selected to participate in the MD Gallery Graduate Programme by gallery director Megan Dickinson, through a sponsorship scheme in association with NorthTec and Creative Northland. The sponsorship enables Megan Dickinson Gallery to host an annual exhibition of works by selected NorthTec arts graduates, providing them with exposure to the commercial art market and assisting them with mentoring and support.
Jolene, who is also an arts tutor at NorthTec after being appointed earlier this year, works predominantly in screen printing. She uses a variety of materials including plywood, acrylic and glass, and mixes both digital and handmade processes.
Her work is described by the Megan Dickinson Gallery as “an expression of recollected thought, values and memory inspired by her experience of growing up in Aotearoa in the 70s and 80s”. She uses imagery and symbolism significant to her upbringing and explores value through colour, medium and metaphor.
Isaiah Rameka is of Ngapuhi, Ngati Wai and Ngati Hine descent. The gallery describes his work as expressing his “deep concerns with the portrayal and representation of both his own and other cultures across Aotearoa. Concerns relating to discrimination, racial profiling and stereotyping are issues that underpin his practice. Through his work he aims to question and depict a more balanced view. This body of work explores ideologies around marginalisation and how diverse cultures are perceived, represented and understood within a broader contemporary context.”
Printer Painter runs until 1 August, and both artists will be giving talks at the gallery about their work on Saturday, 18 July, at 11am.
