Stone Maka - 'Faka'Ahu - Contemporary Fumage'
Canaday Gallery, 10th–27th June 2009
Tongan –born artist, Stone Maka, has been based in Christchurch since 2005 and is currently the McMillan Brown Pacific Artist in Residence. His work establishes connections between the traditional bark cloth painting of ngatu ‘uli in Tonga and the formalism of European modernism. The artist maintained that ngatu ‘uli is the most ancient form of art making in the Pacific region, being practiced before the arrival of the first missionaries from America. The artist has said of his work: ‘I look at my smoke painting work, and I see beauty and harmony, even though the quality of smoke is still a mystery to many of us…. I've drawn smoke from fire to paint my canvas, I've drawn on motifs etc from the Black Tapa to create using smoke.’