Whanga (Harbour)
Melanie Rodriga
Opening: March 26 5:30 pm
Viewing: March 25 until April 5
‘Whanga’ (harbour) is a place of shelter and safety. In late 2021 my wife and I came to Whanganui, moving from the motu’s largest harbour, the Kaipara, with its 400 kilometres of coast. The move was unexpected and distressing but we found safety here and were excited to get to know Whanganui, which we did.
Yet, strangely, the views in these works are all imagined. There is ‘Leaving Kaipara’ which is an imagined view of Whanganui from out to sea, painted over an unfinished work of the Kaipara Harbour. I did not want to finish another Kaipara painting, I wanted to bury the memory and yet beautify it. And there is ‘Whanganui Haeata’, a daybreak that I can only imagine because I would have to be out above the ocean to see that perspective.
I want the perspective to afford a wider view of the sacred connections between awa, whenua, moana, rangi. To convey the almost cosmic feel of that perspective I’ve moved out from the land, over the water, high up, not a drone’s view but a view of the mind’s eye. I would like to imagine whenua as timeless and having the ability to endure beyond time — ake, ake — but colonisation and exploitation have shown how fragile and vulnerable the land is. 21st century Whenua is constantly under threat.
Perhaps that’s why I never place humans within the imagined landscapes. Still, no matter how atmospheric or ‘soft’ the images appear, I want them to evoke respect and a sense of oneness rather than separation, a connection that might blur the distinction between the watcher and that which is watched.
My process is slow. Very slow. I paint in thin glazes of oil paint which must dry between applications in order to build up an appearance intended to represent the depth of pounamu and the lustre of paua or the shading on a Kereru’s chest. Fortunately, I like to meditate.
{ Gallery 1 }
