Megan Dickinson showcasing Northland talent at Aotearoa Art Fair

Artists Teresa HR Lane, Amorangi Hikuroa, Walter Yeoman and Rosy & Rich will be featured at this year's Aotearoa Art Fair.

Tai Tokerau is rife with artistic talent - that is the message curator Megan Dickinson wants to get across when patrons view her booth at the Aotearoa Art Fair.

The owner of Whangārei’s MD Gallery has set up shop from April 18 to 21 at one of the country’s most prestigious art events, held at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre.

Dickinson said to present a featured gallery at the event after a rigorous application and judging process was a real honour. She made history in 2021 as it’s the first Northland gallery to be featured at the event.

She will be representing Northland artists Rosie Parsonson and Richard Darbyshire, Teresa HR Lane, Amorangi Hikuroa and Walter Yeoman.

Dickinson was attracted to the strong sense of place and environmental links the artists’ works showcased.

Artist duo Rosie Parsonson and Richard Darbyshire (Rosy & Rich), with MD Gallery curator Megan Dickinson, pictured here in 2021 before the Auckland Art Fair. Photo / Michael Cunningham

“The thing that brings all of us together is our yearning for the success of Tai Tokerau artists,” she said.

“It’s the top level of the art world, and that’s why it’s very important that someone like myself represents the Tai Tokerau artists. But I’m not just representing the three artists. I want to bring awareness to the whole region.”

Dickinson said her biggest hopes were that the works find new homes and she can raise awareness of Tai Tokerau as a region to watch.

“I’m just so proud to be representing these artists. They have worked incredibly hard and they’re really professional with their practice.”

The artists on show

Ceramic artists Rosy & Rich will showcase their work Time and Place.

Dickinson described their pieces as “richly adorned ceramic vessels” that are inspired by observations of the landscape, with influence from Japanese artist Hokusai’s depiction of waves and the vivid imagination of Rosy.

An example of one of Rosy & Rich's works, Dusk was created using terracotta, underglaze, glaze and gold lustre.

The pair “live and breathe” their art, Dickinson said. She noted they “never cease to surprise [her] with what they come up with”.

The clay sculptures featured in their works are created by Rich and “somehow translated” by Rosy.

“They are totally joined from conception through to the final firing - the conversation is continuous the whole time. You can see the benefits of them being partners of life and art.”

Amorangi Hikuroa will feature his work Tūpuna- The Ancestral Series at the fair.

Like Rosy & Rich, Hikuroa has a studio based at the Whangārei Quarry Arts Centre.

The talent showcased through his pieces have led to his works have been exhibited across the globe.

The “incredibly humble” and “extremely knowledgeable” Hikuroa’s work is “steeped in mana”, Dickinson said.

Amorangi Hikuroa's work is steeped in natural beauty.

“He takes ancient forms from his culture and the wider pacific and lets the work speak to him, and applies the patterning and design work on the surface.”

Hikuroa will have four large vessels featured at the fair.

Matauri Bay-based artist Teresa HR Lane will also feature her work Making Room.

Lane was raised in Northland, but spent many of her adult years away until she moved back to Auckland five years ago. Only recently did she move to the north, and her art is steeped in the inspiration she gets from the landscape she observes.

The vivid imagination of Teresa HR Lane combines varied skills for a surrealist piece.

Inspired by the impact of humanity on the environment, Lane sources material from wildlife magazines and books.

She also takes her own photos and creates surrealist collages in wacky landscapes.

At the show, her largest work is a 1m by 1m collage, and her smallest is a 250cm by 250cm piece, each framed in light wood with museum glass.

Waipu resident Walter Yeoman’s Standing Flow will be on display.

The sculpture plays homage to the kauri that once spanned the Tai Tokerau region, utilising kauri, stainless steel, oil paint and linseed oil.

Walter Yeoman with his piece Standing Flow.

The sacred art piece has been carved to reflect its history, as it spent time as part of a kauri dam construction on the Ahuroa River in Waipu.

This work will be featured in the sculpture space at the event.

Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.