An exhibition in a park in the heart of Onehunga features some familiar faces.
A new Portrait Series titled People of Onehunga will sit in Tin Tacks Reserve, located in the very heart of Onehunga and feature eight images of local residents and is on display until September 2022.
The solar-powered Lightbox is a three-metre tall, 1.5-metre-wide semi-permanent structure, placed in the reserve in 2019 to display local art by local artists.
“This is a great opportunity to light up the reserve with some of the lovely local personalities we have in Onehunga,” says Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board chairperson Maria Meredith.
“It is such a vibrant and varied community and there really is no better way to express that than through faces, smiles and connections.”
Sarah Houston, Auckland Council Arts Place and Partner Specialist, describes the installation as a “community-led project which focusses on providing a platform for local creatives to share their stories, culture and identify with the residents of Onehunga.”
Artists Edith Amituanai, Sione Tuivailala Monū and Manuha’apai Vaeatangitau describe the series as: 'A series of cross-medium collaboration drawn on each respective forms and creative practice. Through Edith Amituanai’s photography, Sione Monū’s sculptural adornments, and Manu Vaeatangitau’s illustrations, the portraits represent our shared candid and intuitive creative process. Every person photographed, ranging from high school students to internationally acclaimed music producers and film directors, has been pulled from our ties to the Onehunga community.'
Through highlighting and showcasing these members of the Onehunga community, the artists have helped serve as stepping-stones towards building stronger connections, meaningful engagement and ones that will hopefully gain traction and grow with the following years programming that is put forward, under the guidance and oversight of a proud and invested Local Board.
An opening event to celebrate the new exhibition will be held at Tin Tacks Reserve once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted so that the community can view the new exhibition, meet and connect with the artists and with one another as a community.
Images will be changed out every two months until the end of the exhibition in October 2022.
Tin Tacks Reserve is located at 371-373 Onehunga Mall.
