New Exhibition For NorthTec Tutor

New Exhibition For NorthTec Tutor

NorthTec tutor in Visual Arts Faith McManus is no stranger to success. She’s been in constant demand to exhibit at some of the country’s most well-known galleries since graduating from arts school twelve years ago.

Her latest suite of work “The Riders of the Red Manuka” - which is currently being exhibited at the prestigious Lane Gallery in Auckland - is a departure in form, scale and content.

McManus is known for her large-scale work or installations which she describes as either “expensive or non-selling”. “The Riders of the Red Manuka” however, is intimate, small-scale work.

For the first time McManus has also decided to sell her work in limited editions so that it is affordable for those from the communities it represents who might want to purchase one of the images from the exhibition.

“The Riders of the Red Manuka” suite of eight works is the result of a journey into McManus’ own Far North heritage. Her background is multi-cultural and McManus says that her work has often dealt with cross-cultural themes. This time her research led her to a story about a cowboy movie that was reputedly filmed in the Far North in 1926.

“It was supposed to be based on Zane Grey’s “Riders of the Purple Sage”. I first heard about the Cowboys of the Red Manuka from my Mum, Anna Karena. She said her father-in-law Wiki Karena was one of the cowboys, but the original cowboys were from Te Hapua.”

The eight pieces in the suite reflect possible images from that movie, including an image of Wiki Karena himself. The images are created through a reduction woodcut process with colours being gradually layered to create the end result.

“I wanted the work to have the palette of the Far North – the pink of the manuka blossom, the red of the soil.”

“The Riders of the Red Manuka” is being exhibited at the Lane Gallery until 5 September as part of a joint exhibition called “Frontia” with artist Lily Aitui Laita. McManus also intends to exhibit at Wellington gallery Solander next year.

Those interested in purchasing one of the limited editions of the eight works can contact the Faith McManus at bluebird@actrix.co.nz.

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