Mamo fico

In folk magic, the fig hand known in current times as the "figa" hand is a sign that turns away evil or reveals its presence. In common usage the gesture was also used to reveal an unfaithful mate. In some areas of the world the gesture is considered a good luck charm in others (including France, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Russia a among others) it is considered an obscene gesture. The precise origin of the gesture is unknown but many historians speculate that it refers to female genitalia. In ancient Greece this gesture was a fertility and a good luck charm designed to ward of evil. This survived in Portugal and Brazil, where carved images of hands in this gesture are used in good luck talismans.

Figa/Fico

Symbolism

Jean Depres' Engine Ring

Jean Depres was fascinated by the mechanical world and used the engine parts rods and nuts, the look and form of metal.

This vintage enamel brooch depicts the butterfly. The butterfly can represent rebirth and ressurection.

An Unusual symbol of love

This symbol symbolises an unusual symbol of love. Traditionally this was only worn by Irish people. (most often in a ring form) If a person was seen wearing this. It meant that he/she is either looking for love or is in a relationship.

Digital Marae

Whakapapa- This refers to the tracing back of your ancesters, your family lineage, as far back as the verbal memory reaches. Often the Whakakpapa is a verbal record. The notion of Whakapapa in its wider sense is not just about genealogy but about how we connect to eachother.

Lisa Reihana's belief about time in space. Night time is the best time for story telling. Travelling in the company of those you love is time in motion. Reihana believes you can be far away from people or places you love. But time and space can collapse. Maori conception of time, i nga wa o mua that one walks towards the past guided by one's ancestors with the future behind. Lisa says, You are under the protection of your ancestors who came before you and support you. Whakapapa provides a continuum of the past present and the future.

List the media Lisa uses. Multi media and theatrical stuff.

The realism of the photographic image created a tension with carving? Represented ansestors equally but Reihana often just got permission to use the carvings. She saw this as sad and she says I've collapsed these two ideas to create a new hybrid.

What is the important function of a Wharenui?? The importance of the Wharenui is sharing stuff bringing the family together and teacing the younger ones how to respect others for the next generation.

How did photographic process came into Lisa Reihana's practice?? She was thinking about gender roles and how to transgress culture in a respectful way.  She seized upon photography because they sit outside traditional rules.

Why do Maori women decorate carvings with feathers for special occasions?? these adornments provided a mechanism for the ancestors to speak through channelling the spiritual realm through vibrations. The quiver of feathers indicated other presences responding to korero.

How does Lisa Reihana like to activate Digital Marae?? she sang a waiata.

Describe Maori conception of time. I Nga Wa O Mua.

Mahuika

 She is referring to the story about Maui asking for fire. [The story goes that Maui put out the fires in his village perhaps as an excuse to undertake the journey into the underworld to meet his grandmother Mahuika. She possessed fire in her fingernails]. Her gaze she's giving the viewers is kinda a blind look like she's seeing something else thats around her. Which gives this picture a kinda scary look. Even with the dark clouds behind her. It gives a underworld look to the picture. Her firey dark dress looks like whats its supposed to look like. FIRE. Everything about this picture is what its supposed to look like. So me as a viewer of this picture. It looks like the underworld. Her hand gesture is like she wants you to go closer to her. The feeling i got when i first saw this picture was Hine Nui Te Po [The goddess of death] Which is kinda scary in a way. What i like about Lisa's work is that the mythical meanings to her work and some of the myth stories she talks about i have read before. The pictorial elements support everything she's doing or trying to say to the viewers but in a photograph. I think that the most viewers would just see this photograph as a dark photo. But when they hear the story behind it they would see what she's doing and what she is communicating.

New Zealand Painters

Reuben Patterson "Abstract painter"

I chose this work because it's one of the nicest abstract works i've seen. Even the colours are nice to just look at. His work is usually massive. So i'm gonna guess and say that this painting is massive as well. So considering the size of this artwork it would almost be like your in the water. And i think most of us like water. So whats not to like about this work. Its just like water. If i was to make me an abstract painting like this i'll do my own designs and patterns in the same way like Reuben but instead of cold colours i'll have warm colours. And i'll make big and small ones. Some for different times and space.

Goldie The Man !!
"figurative"

Second artist i chose is Goldie because of his fine detailing he does to his portraits. You can see that the people he paints are posed. But the way they are posed makes them look happy. If i was to do something similar. i'll get my sitter to pose for me. But i won't set them up to how i want them. I'll tell the sitter to just be themself. I heard that someone forged Goldie's work. Which is kinda hard to believe. Considering there is a lot of detail to get right. I like everything about Goldie's work but only one thing stands out from them. They all have Moko. Which i think is very cool.

surrealism

Geopoliticus Child Watching The Birth Of A New Man

Salvador Dali

Surrealism is the art movement i am interested in. When it comes to surrealism. My favourite surrealist is Salvador Dali because he's the best of the best. His work he does is very much like a dream of the unknown. Where it looks like anything can happen. To me his work makes me wonder whats going on. Almost like his showing the viewers his dreams. So it gives me as a viewer   a insight into the unknown. Even the colours he chose gives the work a dark feeling. Like its the end of the world. Where a new generation of human is coming from egg like things. Although he is'nt the first surrealist. It's fair to say he is the greatest surrealist artist in the world. His golden period started after the second world war. He was interested in heaps of things like science and technology. He was influenced by the famous Raphael. some of his painting was in relation to historical events. There's not much happening with the colour you mostly only see brown and gold. But there's only one brightish colour. RED. So i don't know what Salvador's trying to show us. But maybe he's trying to catch our attention so that we only focus on whats happening in the centre of the shell. It's a mystery to me. It's a very dark painting alright. So maybe this was one of Salvador's nightmares.