The designs for two prominent public murals in Hastings have been revealed.
Cinzah Merkens, a Hawke's Bay-based multidisciplinary artist, event producer and curator has been chosen to carry out a 180m2 work in Hastings central city. The second artist, who will complete a 50m2 work within Havelock North's Village Green, is Jil Sergent, known as Jil of Aotearoa, also based in Hawke's Bay.
Cinzah is likely best known in Hawke's Bay for his massive works in Napier as part of the Murals for Oceans. As a muralist he has left his mark on walls across the world, including in Mexico, Estonia, San Diego and the West Indies.
His design for the Hastings project is anchored by a massive kahu, or New Zealand hawk. He said he sought advice from Ngāti Kahungunu elders before deciding on the direction of the work. He was inspired by an iwi whakatauki (proverb): 'Te haaro o te kahu ki tuawhakararere', which means 'View the future with the insight of a hawk'.
"I felt this proverb to be fitting, as on a physical plane it speaks of the vast area the kahu travels and its farsightedness as well as, spiritually speaking, for future generations. The main central component of the mural is the kahu, representative of all people living in Heretaunga, in mid-flight, acting as a kaitiaki or guardian for all people and the region's land."