Michele Irving, Athina Moisa, Susan Davy at ROAR!

ROAR! gallery
55 Abel Smith St
above Real Groovy
Wellington

Michele Irving, Athina Moisa, Susan Davy show at ROAR!

Opening 11th July at 5.30pm running till 28th July:

* Rewritten and crafted fairy tales by Michele Irving *

* 'Created Villages' new tapestries by Athina Moisa *

* 'Sea of Tranquillity' new paintings by Susan Davy *

This show brings together three women and three approaches which bring together vibrant colour, humour and imagination in distinctive and original work.

Michele Irving - Rewritten And Crafted Fairy Tales

Michele Irving uses her trademark materials; cloth, thread, beads and patchwork to weave together alternative versions of traditional fairy tales. Her inimitable style and sense of humour is evident throughout, from the Princes and the pea cast as a big black dog balanced on a tower of mattresses with the statement 'Sometimes a dog just can't get comfortable', to the feminised Puss who kicks off her well known boots in preference for her slipper and a glass of wine at the end of the day;

'I wanted to have fun with the fairytale world and portray this world in a different medium from writing....Some of the tales have been transformed into new versions of the tale, such as my wall-hangings of Puss in Boots with her sore paws, or my rabbit Bridegroom who became a romantic rabbit.'

As always with Irving, everything is beautifully made, but this show features new experiments like the crowning glories of fabric crowns, as well as the stunning mermaid wall bras. Beaded, patchworked and embellished with fish as well starfish and fish spilling over the cups, these are works of art for the fairy tale princess in all of us.

Susan Davy - 'Sea of Tranquillity'

Susan Davy is a Wellington artist who currently lives on the Kapiti Coast. Having travelled extensively, she has settled in Wellington. Davy has always been a maker; previously in a more domestic setting experimenting with plaster sculpture, cake decorating, flower and textiles. Now working as a full time artist, for this show she has worked with acrylic on canvas to create vibrant and alive seascapes.

Originally Davy was working with abstract lines and curves in different colour combinations but as the work developed she knew it need some kind of life in it to transform it into something real. After sitting with the work at home and noticing that the patterns created a swaying movement reminiscent of underwater scenes, she was inspired to recreate some of the magnificent colours and forms she had witnessed on trips to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The result is beautiful large scale work which marries abstract forms with sea scapes in bright and vibrant colour combinations.

Athina Moisa - 'Created Villages

Athina Moisa is a Wellington artist. She was born in New Zealand and is Greek Orthodox, half Greek Cypriot. Moisa has been making art full time for two years, and has integrated her innate sense of colour in painting and drawing with a love of textiles and wool.

After experimenting with lots of painting and drawing of houses, Moisa has now connected with a practical, craft kind of art. She is a prolific knitter of jerseys and quilts, but tapestry was a new experiment. Her Mum taught her to knit at four years old, and she enjoys using the wool which is left over from the jerseys.

The inspiration for the current show came from a trip to Greece and the UK, where Moisa was struck by how close together all the houses were. So close, in fact, that you could lean over and talk to your neighbour, encouraging a greater sense of connectedness and community. An avid watcher of Coronation St, Moisa connects the style of housing with the social element of the soap.

"I liked the way the houses have different shapes. They are not just straight up and down. Houses over there are called bungalows and they are so different to New Zealand houses. They don't have garages or carports like we do. Here we have big roads, there they have little alley ways in between people's houses."

The abstract works were inspired by a still life drawing workshop looking at a sea shell. Athina drew it represented as a huge spiral. She recreated it in large scale drawings and then thread pieces which hung in space. The idea then translated into the same pieces on canvas.

"Wool is not only for knitting!"

For further details and print quality images, please contact the gallery.

Sian Torrington
Gallery Manager
ROAR! gallery
55 Abel Smith St
1st Floor
Above Real Groovy
Wellington
PO Box 9720

P - 04 3857602
F - 04 3828632

Wed 11-5 Thur 11-6 Fri 11-5 Sat 11-5

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