Extraordinary woven designs, painstakingly created using folded coloured cardboard by artist Fides, are among dozens of works on display in the Artsenta Annual Group Exhibition, on now at Dunedin Community Gallery.
For several months, 40 artists from Artsenta, a shared art studio for people within the mental health community, have been hard at work creating pieces in a huge range of styles and mediums.
Artsenta director Paul Smith said the ‘‘sheer diversity’’ of the works was wonderful to see.
‘‘And there is so much aroha in these artworks — we are thrilled to be sharing them with the community,’’ Smith said.
Working away quietly among the busy creatives at Artsenta most days is artist Fides, who works with meticulously folded coloured cardboard to build fascinating, intricate designs.
When she first started going to Artsenta, Fides was unsure of which art form to take part in, and was intrigued by the options available, including pottery, painting, sculpture, fibre art, knitting, writing poetry and music.
While working on making some gloves for Matariki, Fides discovered discarded coloured cardboard, and decided to cross over the weaving elements of knitting into making sculptural pieces.
‘‘I started out with a round, woven ring for our Matariki exhibition, and things just grew from there,’’ Fides said.
‘‘You can make all kinds of shapes using this process — not just circles.’’
Every piece she creates is different and each takes several weeks to complete. They are are also kinetic and collapsible, strengthened with string to become surprisingly robust.
‘‘Using waste cardboard to make my pieces is another element — having recycled materials makes them sustainable,’’ she said.
Smith said it was impressive that Fides had invented her own technique for making the art works, which were attractive and appealing.
Fides said she regarded her art works as gifts to be shared with people.
‘‘I hope that they cherish them,’’ she said.
The Artsenta Annual Group Exhibition continues at Dunedin Community Gallery, 26 Princes St, until next Friday, October 3.
The exhibition is open daily from 10am-4pm.
