Pupils use mix of mediums to connect with culture

Artwork by Pasifika pupils from Queen’s High School is displayed for their families at Te Whare...
Artwork by Pasifika pupils from Queen’s High School is displayed for their families at Te Whare Rukutia on Wednesday evening. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Pupils from a Dunedin secondary school are connecting with their culture through traditional art.

Pasifika pupils from Queen’s High School revealed their completed artwork to friends and family in an event held at Te Whare Rukutia on Wednesday.

The project involved junior and senior Pasifika pupils creating artwork which explored traditional knowledge taught by mixed-media Pasifika artist Ana Teofilo.

Funded by the Creatives in Schools programme, pupils carved traditional Pasifika patterns into painted wood, embellishing the surface with hot-glue dots.

Ms Teofilo shared this technique of hers with the pupils, allowing them to translate the techniques into their own unique pieces.

She said in Pasifika cultures "art is a form of storytelling".

Ms Teofilo was a former pupil at Queen’s High School and wanted a way to "give back to the girls".

The pupils did not have the pressure of being marked for their art, which Ms Teofilo said created a space for them to "be themselves".

"I hope it gives them confidence in who they are and where they come from," Ms Teofilo said.

ani.ngawhika@odt.co.nz

 

 

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