Hamilton sand artist to exhibit at Dubai show
When artist Nancy Tschetner moved to New Zealand in 2003, she was enamoured with our black sand beaches.
Originally from Germany, Tschetner had never seen a shade of sand so dark, and it wasn’t long before she incorporated the granules into her paintings.
Now, a piece completely made from sand will be on display at an international exhibition in Dubai.
The Women Art Exhibition features 100 female artists from 100 countries, and Tschetner has been exclusively invited to represent New Zealand.
Her artwork, titled Together, incorporates symbols such as an infinity sign, pikorua (twist), koru, fern, butterfly, roses and a lioness.
‘‘The lioness in all of us is a reminder about our birthright of power. She teaches her young how to fend for themselves, without ever leaving them vulnerable,’’ Tschetner said.
‘‘So the hope lies in the whole human race to carry ourselves
‘‘It's relaxing to have the feeling of sand run through your fingers.’’
with confidence and strength.’’
Nature is a theme prevalent in many of Tschetner’s pieces.
She was recently accepted into an exhibition for World Peace in 2019 in Canada.
‘‘I grew up in a tiny little village, building tree huts and telling people to pick up their litter.
‘‘I always wondered what I could support, or how I could make a difference with my art,’’ she said.
‘‘I wanted to try to reconnect people with nature. I think we are paying way too much attention to all of the artificial things.’’
Interestingly, Tschetner, 38, works on oil rigs, but her job involves testing the pipes for defects and preventing leaks.
It’s also a role she said was very male-dominated, but was similar to her art as both were very detailed jobs.
‘‘The fastest I could do a piece would probably take and hour, if I really, really hurry.’’
Running from March 22-29, The Women Art Exhibition will be held in Dubai’s well-known One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel.
When she returns, Tschetner is holding an exhibition at The Village Cafe in Whatawhata from March 30-April 2.
She also has hopes of starting her own Womens Exhibition in New Zealand and encourages any female artists to get in touch. Contact nancy_tschetner@yahoo.de for info.