Gallery commissions works by three senior Fijian weavers
8 December 2005

New woven art works, commissioned by the Queensland Art Gallery, will be shown for the first time this week in Fiji.

Queensland Art Gallery Director Doug Hall today announced the commission of three woven mats by senior Fijian weavers Finau Mara, Repeka Yali and Seruwaia Kudruvi .

Mr Hall said that two of the works would be exhibited as part of the Fiji National Craft Fair, organised by the Fiji Arts Council from 8 to 10 December.

Following the exhibition in Fiji, the works will be shown as part of the 'Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2006' (APT 2006), which opens in November 2006.

Mr Hall said Mara, Yali and Kudruvi were senior members of their communities, and their work demonstrated a commitment to the contemporary development of traditional textile practice.

'These works will be displayed in APT 2006, as part of a "Pacific Textiles Project",' he said.

'Since the first Triennial in 1993 and following the establishment of the Gallery's dedicated Pacific Collection in 2002, there has been ongoing research into contemporary artistic practice in the Pacific.'

Mr Hall said curatorial research trips associated with the APT had provided unique opportunities to commission and acquire works from the Pacific, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

'The commission of these Fijian weavings has been assisted by the Fiji Arts Council and the Australian High Commission in Fiji,' he said.

Mr Hall said APT 2006 would continue the tradition started by the APT in 1993 as the first major international cultural event to give prominence to the Pacific within the context of the contemporary arts of the Asia–Pacific region.

ENDS