Super-sized painting highlights big issue
At 5.2 metres wide by 2m high, it must be one of the largest pieces to grace the Diversion Gallery in Picton.
And just like the painting itself, the subject matter of Amuia ,by celebrated Samoan artist Fatu Feu’u, is becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore.
Feu’u says he is concerned about the need for families and communities to address the growing issue of teen depression and suicide, by better nurturing the cultural needs of young people. The painting is about nurturing spirituality in young people, and addressing the issues leading youth to such desperate measures, Feu’u says.
‘‘I’m trying to say that with our youth there is poor communication from parents,’’ he says. ‘‘Like, even myself as a parent or grandparent, I feel we should be more open to have communication with our young people.
‘‘To give them guidance in their lives. I suppose, because society as it is, and where we are at the moment, there is so much interruption between the parents and our children. We have the cellphone, we have the TV, we have the internet, and we have so many different things. And so, we are neglecting to pass on certain values.
‘‘And nowadays, our youth aren’t just having small problems, they are getting into big problems because they are not knowing the consequences.’’
Feu’u has eight children and eight grandchildren, and one great grandchild, and is conscious of the need for ongoing guidance even after young people leave the home. Although reference to the Psalms in the painting, Feu’u is not a churchgoing man and sees spiritual guidance coming in many forms.
‘‘It’s really time for our parents to stand up and make ourselves known to our children.
‘‘But that’s why I believe we are here, to help our children, if children are lucky enough to have their parents or grandparents around.’’
The responsibility of cultural transmission begins, not with our institutions, but at home with the family, he says.
‘‘The parents need to be spelling that out, to take responsibility for our lives, and showing them the consequences of following the wrong path. The parents, I think, are relying too much on the government. I believe, first, it’s the parents’ responsibility for the welfare of their children, rather than the government.’’
Feu’u says media, as well as drugs and alcohol, plays a role, but teen depression and suicide are systemic of young people seeking a connection to a community when there isn’t one at home.
‘‘I hate to see this generation or the next generation addicted to the media because it’s very superficial. I mean, it’s no way to live. And someone always has to pick up the pieces, and sometimes that’s too late.
‘‘The kids have too many parties, can’t go to work, and don’t have any money to party. So, they get into all sorts of trouble. But I think it’s false for the parents to rely on the government to do things, maybe later on, but by then it’s usually too late. And by too late, I mean the kids have drifted so far away that they end up suicidal. Then it’s too late to do anything about it.’’
Feu’u is one of three artists exhibiting in ‘Facing Change confronting social and sustainability issues’ at the Diversion Gallery, in Picton, from March 25 to April 26.
Graham Bennett and Nigel Brown are the other artists, and they focus primarily on environmental sustainability, which has underpinned much of their recent work. The subject matter of environmental degradation may stand in contrast to youth suicide, but the core problems remain the same – taking responsibility at home, before it’s too late.
‘‘I think it’s important to have two works that are so contrasting, but similar concerns for where we are, and our future,’’ Bennett says.
‘‘We all have a responsibility, and the question we should ask is: how should we live? Essentially, yes, there is a lot of government mismanagement with our environment, and we’ve been lied to, and it’s a big embarrassment. New Zealand has a couple of the two most polluted lakes in the OECD, which doesn’t measure up to our image of clean and green ... It’s also an intergenerational and moral concern as well.’’
The Diversion Gallery has included five challenging sculptures from Bennett’s acclaimed exhibition WADE, an independent exhibition staged in Christchurch late last year.
Entitled ‘Polluted Inheritance’, the five circular wall sculptures feature a cluster of young, naked/ innocent women standing in a pond of polluted water, each representing a New Zealand lake in dire condition – and each filled with real polluted water.
Overall the exhibit demonstrates that healthy tension between artist and society, that makes all art a viable and emotional language for advocating change.
In the words of playwright Bertolt Brecht, ‘‘Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.’ The subject matter of ‘Facing Change’ is difficult, but crucial.
The details: Facing Change – confronting social and sustainability issues is at The Diversion Gallery, 10 London Quay, Picton from March 25 to April 26. The gallery is open noon to 5pm, Wednesday to Saturday.
Exhibitions
■ Ian Hamlin opening preview on Friday April 6 at 6pm, exhibition continues until April 22. ‘‘The intricacies of light, feelings and memories about a time in a place or landscape percolate together and inspire me.’’ Yealands Estate Marlborough Gallery, 10.30am to 4.30pm.
■ Facing Change – confronting social and sustainability issues, paintings and sculpture by Fatu Feu’u, Graham Bennett, Nigel Brown, at The Diversion gallery, 10 London Quay, Picton, until April 26. Open Easter Saturday and Monday.
■ Kiwi in the Kitchen: An Eccentric History of Birds in the New Zealand Home. From wooden bellows embellished with a hand-painted tu¯¯ı to a shell covered
Kiwi figurine.
Millennium Public
Art Gallery.
■ Mainland. A substantial exhibition of art related to the land.
Most works are from the Gallery’s permanent collection and range in date from the 1860s to 2017. . Millennium Public Art Gallery.
Music
■ Mimosa is a Gypsy Jazz duo from Australia made up of one violin and one guitar. Tickets are $25, and doors open at Highfield Terravin Restaurant on April 6 at 6pm. Platters and drinks available for purchase.
■ Shaun Kirk, Howlin at the Mood tour at Le Cafe in Picton on April 13 from 6.30pm. Tickets are $15.
■ Join in a Ukulele flash mob at The Vines Village on April 14 from
1pm to 4pm.
Theatre
■ Innovative takes on Shakespeare performed by students from around Marlborough. Students will perform 5 and 15-minute scenes from the Bard’s plays at the SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival 2018. Marlborough Girls’ College, April 7, 5.30pm. Enquiries 027 283 6016.
■ Emily Perkins adaptation of Ibsen’s original Doll’s House is set in present day NZ. We meet 40-somethings confronting the difference between the dream and the reality, where their past mistakes are coming back to haunt them. Boathouse Theatre from April 4.
■ Penny Ashton tours Olive Copperbottom - A rollicking romantic musical journey through fifteen ginsoaked characters at Picton Little Theatre on April 5 at 7.30pm. Tickets $20 from Take Note Picton and Alyssums Blenheim.
■ Blenheim Musical Theatre presents Mary Poppins the Broadway Musical at the ASB Theatre on April 20, 21 and 22.
■ Foster and Allen at the ASB Theatre on April 23.
Other
■ NZ surgical pioneer Dr George Cleghorn, a talk by Stephen Vallance at the Marlborough Museum, 7pm. Tickets 20. RSVP 5781712.
"I believe, first, it's the parents' responsibility for the welfare of their children, rather than the government." Fatu Feu'u