Mixed media, a combination of colours and an assortment of motifs make for an exciting expression of identity for South Island artist Naomi Faifai.
Where once, she confides, she would have felt pressure to conform to more rigid cultural norms, Naomi has more recently embarked on a journey of personal discovery and embraced each component of her ethnicity.
Growing up in 1990s Timaru, she was “one of just a few brown kids” in her neighbourhood, and was called out as a “plastic Māori” on more than one occasion. “I spent many years feeling like I wasn’t doing a good enough job of representing my culture,” the talented emerging artist begins. “I am quite light skinned, but my mum is Māori and my dad’s background is Samoan. Finally, as an adult, I’ve realised I don’t have to prove anything. I just am who I am.”
Naomi’s work across paint, ink and pastel is a fascinating depiction of self-acceptance, using icons that are meaningful to this emerging mixed media artist. “Money was tight growing up, so I’ve never been to the Pacific,” Naomi continues. “It’s been important to me to create works that feel personally authentic and use symbols that reflect my identity.”
A recurring motif is the frangipani flower “because it pops up in New Zealand quite often as an emblem of the Pacific, on things like cushions and earrings. It’s almost like a Pasifika pop culture symbol and it’s one I feel quite drawn to.”
And in her first ever solo show, open to the public from Friday 2 May at The Frame Workshop and Gallery, she mixes the ubiquitous with the unexpected. “You'll see a fish or a frangipani alongside a cell phone, a dog, or a daisy. They’re symbols I connect to on a personal level as someone who grew up in Aotearoa, not on an island."
Colour also takes a key role in Naomi’s large-scale, playful works on paper and canvas. “I like to have about a million different colours sitting in front of me - a mix of test pots, tubes, pastels - and let what happens, happen,” says the artist, who moved back to her hometown from Marlborough in 2023 and now works from an airy, top-floor studio in Timaru’s CBD.
Her exhibition of 30 works is called Inner Workings, exploring place, connection, and the mahi she’s done on self-acceptance. It’s a significant step forward for Naomi, who has been represented exclusively by The Frame Workshop and Gallery since 2021. “I’ve often felt like a visitor to the places I whakapapa to. Each piece in this show takes a closer look at the parts of the environment that have shaped me – communities, lakes, rivers and whānau.”
The gallery’s Creative Director, Zekiah Heath, says she was thrilled to discover Naomi’s work almost five years ago, confirming the artist is “one to watch”.
“Naomi’s work has been very well received since her very first collection with us – it’s completely unique to her and very much an extension of her personality and journey of discovery. You see Naomi shine through in her work and we’re as excited as she is to prepare for such an important show.”
As her star continues to rise, Naomi’s future is bright, says Zekiah. As for Naomi herself, her hope is to learn more about her heritage by taking her partner and two children to Samoa and immersing herself in some of the Pacific’s more traditional art forms, such as learning to pound bark and make tapa cloth.
“Art is my happy place,” says Naomi, whose own mother is World of Wearable Arts competitor, artist Christeena MacDonald. “It makes me feel so good, mental health-wise. I love making things and always did, and now my own children are just the same, always busy with their creations.”
The Frame Workshop and Gallery, located on Jervois Road in Herne Bay, presents Inner Workings, from Friday 2 May. Opening night and artist floor talk, Thursday 1 May.
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