Spark art hits the uni
A Wintec graduate’s art is being feature at the University of Waikato starting this Spark Week,
It’s getting late but the lights are still on at Spark Week.
This year even the University of Waikato is getting involved, hosting an exhibition of Wintec honours graduate Liam Te Nahu’s artwork.
The exhibition, Tena Koe, is a selection of intricate ink drawings influenced by a variety of Asia-Pacific cultures as well as Te Nahu’s own abstract Māori style.
Waikato University Art Collection Curator Steph Chalmers said she was drawn to the collection because of Te Nahu’s attention to detail.
“Liam’s art has this beautiful ability to make you feel how only art can, and the incredible detail really makes you slow down.”
Chalmers praised Te Nahu’s appreciation for eastern mysticism and his use of symbol structures such as the mandala in his art.
The mandala is a metaphorical, metaphysical symbolisation of the universe comprised of fractal geometric patterns.
The construction of a mandala is also often used as a technique to focus the mind and as an aid for meditation.
“There’s a sense of calmness in Liam’s work,” Chalmers said. “He uses the mandalas as a meditation and you can get lost just tracing the lines.”
This theme of balance and peace pervades the entirety of Tena Koe, and even Te Nahu’s series Maze serves almost as a massage for the brain, allowing the eyes to follow the fine lines that make up the pieces while the mind works below the surface.
Chalmers said she being involved with Spark Week meant Waikato University students would get more opportunities to come in to contact with art.
“We don’t have the same sort of arts programme at the University, so it’s great to have a good relationship with Wintec and give the students a chance to see more art.”
- Tena Koe runs until the 17th October at the Calder and Lawson Gallery.
