Showcasing best of fine arts

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 20 May 2018, 12:00AM

The School of Fine Arts showcased their end of semester exhibition of art works by Year 1 – 3 students at the E.F.K.S. Museum in Malua on Friday.

The theme of the large exhibition centres on the “the Spirit of Wisdom in languages”. 

Former student of the Fine Arts school and Curator of the student exhibition, Susana Pelenato Liufau said this is the first time the school has been able to showcase their art on such a large scale to the public since the Fine Arts School merged with the E.F.K.S. Museum last year. 

“The merge has opened up a wonderful opportunity for them to hold these large exhibitions in beautiful spaces like this as well as fulfill the critiquing in the school’s curriculum. This used to happen on a small scale at the back of this compound where all the magic happens.”

The exhibition is also a complementary event to the E.F.K.S’s annual conference.

“Many of our patrons here know that there is a school but they have never seen the works that come out of it,” Susana said. 

“It allows them to see what and who they are investing in. The school has never had public viewings like this, there was a disconnection before but now they own it. It was a dream for the school to be able to do this; it was a goal from the very beginning before I was born.”

According to Susanna, she was curating the artworks to narrate the individuals’ quest for self-existent direction and harmonious perfection. As a result, the exhibition upon first glance is rich with originality and different layers of art genres that is rare to see all in one space. 

The expertise that went into the curating of the exhibition allowed the viewer to be guided seamlessly through the collection enjoying each unique piece and its story. 

Second year Art student, Talaiamua Israelu from Faleasiu was one of the few abstract artists who was showcased and he spoke about his art work.

“The inspiration behind these painting is based on the colour wheel. If you look at the colour wheel, there are both cool and warm colours. What I wanted to do is mix it all up and lay it out on the canvas.” 

“When you watch the weather channel on T.V., you see so many different colours mixing together and in our environment, it’s the same and I compare my work here to that of the environment. For me, I love abstract art because you never see it that much here in Samoa.”

For Year 3 portraiture artists, 20-year-old Heber Maulalo Fesolai and 23-year-old Kolio Pita, you get a clear understanding of the attitude of todays’ artist in Samoa looking to carve out their own unique style by delving deeply into their creative psyche and making a name for themselves at the same time. 

“I like the flat colour and block painting style which I have used in this self-portrait because it’s different and I want to change how people see painting, there’s so many different techniques and I want to push myself to develop my own unique style,” said Heber. 

“It is challenging to for me to mix the colour’s to represent the right tone, but ever since I was little, I was always fascinated with people’s faces and I wanted to get better at painting portraits. Art is so important to me, I love art.”

Susana said this exhibition is not only giving students exposure, it also helps to develop confidence in public speaking, which is an area that many artists struggle with and can be a challenge for them in developing the necessary business mind to later on be able to sell themselves.

“It is so good to see people talking to the artists about their work and for the student artists to have the opportunity to verbalise the intellectual content that lies in their art. This is great for their confidence and gives them practice for a real life gallery situation.”

At the exhibition, one appreciative art enthusiast, Rosa Tapusoa pointed out that “for and island in a remote part of the world, it is clear to see that the art market has yet to influence or define our young Samoan artists making this exhibition so refreshing and stunning. It’s so awesome see the variety of concepts so clear and wonderfully untouched yet containing its own special wisdom”.

The exhibition continues for another two weeks during the Malua Conference.

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 20 May 2018, 12:00AM

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