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Rusiate Lali
Breathe Deep
30 x 30 cm |
DEPOT GALLERY
2 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW 2017 Tel +61 2 83993492
Tuesday – Saturday 11–6pm Sunday 10.30–3.30pm
With his vibrant and dynamic art,
Rusiate is one of the most exciting contemporary artists from
Fiji. With images that are at once stunningly beautiful and
powerfully political he walks a highly individual line
encouraging indigenous people to celebrate their culture
heritage and defend its uniqueness from the dehumanizing
pressures of global influence.
Director of Gallery Gondwana Roslyn Premont comments: "Rusiate
lives in two worlds, that of his traditional Melanesian culture
and that outside it. His work reflects the complexity of the
interplay between these two in ways that are provocative and
inspiring." Melanesian art is founded in traditional myths,
legends and lifestyle. Like Aboriginal art it is part of
traditional cultural practices such as dance and song which
create cultural continuity, survival and a sense of belonging.
Ms Premont continues: "Rusiate combines traditional legends with
stories inspired by his own experience, education, vision,
social and spiritual environment. In a modernist sense he is
very influenced by the work of Picasso, Klee, Basquait and Miro
- subtle references to the Primitivism of their visual language
underpins many of his works."
Rusiate’s work is highly evocative of indigenous Fijian art, in
particular the traditional tapa textile design with its vibrant
colour, black lines and soft ochres. Sophisticated in its
expression, the artist combines layers of paint, lines and
patterns in essentially graphic works that have a filmic
reference. Into these he encodes personal totemic iconography
and narratives that reflect his ancestral stories as well as his
attitudes to contemporary life. Often reference is made to
complex indigenous issues associated with living in a globalized
world. A social activist, he draws attention to human rights and
social justice issues. Traditional motifs and graffiti like
warnings in English and Fijian often scrawl across the painting
surface.
Rusiate’s contemporary artistic career began some 11 years ago
at the Center for Oceanic Arts and Cultures in Suva. In 2000 he
was represented in the Fijian contingent to the Pacific Festival
of the Arts in Noumea, New Caledonia. Over the last few years he
has exhibited in Australia and increasingly adopted Alice
Springs in Australia as a second home, especially since forming
a close artistic relationship with artist Dorothy Napangardi who
has worked closely with him in Fiji and Australia.
Rusiate comes from a distinguished artistic lineage. His
grandmother Taraivini Wati is a renown potter and university
lecturer from Rewa. Her work is featured on the saqamoli (Fijian
one dollar coin). His sister Ana Rakei is a leading dancer. True
to his age he loves popular culture, in particular film and
media as a major influence. |
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