Brick Bay Sculpture Trail is an ‘open air gallery’ featuring over 60 artworks by New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists in an idyllic natural environment. Open every day, from 10am.
Included in new installations on the sculpture trail this winter, Brick Bay is proud to present two beautifully carved totara forms, titled Malosi and Malosi - Jewels. They are the work of artist Ioane Ioane, whose practice encompasses sculpture, painting, installation and ritual performance. Originally from Samoa and now based in Auckland, Ioane’s family moved to New Zealand when he was six years old.
Recalling this journey across space and time, Ioane’s art is firmly rooted in Samoan culture, often acknowledging the spiritual and transitional nature of ‘va’, a rich Samoan concept meaning ‘space between’. The va is a place of affirmation, the spiritual space between two cultures, between people and the environment, connections between past and present. He describes this space as one of transformation, one of birth and becoming, adding: "Sacred spaces are not necessarily a church, but it's a place where one likes to be...a place of affirmation.”
Ioane talks of returning to his birthplace of Samoa after a 50 year absence; “coming back to my roots, practicing the language, connecting with my ancestors and family back there had a profound impact on me.” He realised why he had always been drawn to maritime projects, with a profound connection to the ocean.
Ioane’s 2002 installation at the Auckland City Art Gallery, Fale Sa, included 500 carved cowry shells and three wooden totems, shown with a watery audio-lightscape. The sculptures at Brick Bay, both titled Malosi (Samoan for strength) evolve from this work. Cowry shells are of great importance in many cultures as currency, decoration and a symbol of strength, usually interpreted as male strength. But here, Ioane celebrates malosi as the strength of women from childhood through maturity to old age. Ioane notes: “‘Malosi’ is most often seen, or portrayed, as the physicality of the male…[but] the reality of soul-strength lies predominantly in women. If men are receptive, they too can find the strength of their women ancestors - the woman-spirit in all. Why else would nature be ‘mother’?” Ioane has a deep appreciation for women, describing himself as “3,055 years old - an extension of my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, my community and my nation.”
The coiled energy and calm presence of the carved totara forms, positioned beside the watery expanse of the lake, are grounded in the artist’s past, providing viewers an opportunity to contemplate the possibility of their own transformation and growth.
Opening Hours
- Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm
- Saturday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Address
- 17 Arabella Lane
- Snells Beach 0982
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail is an ‘open air gallery’ featuring over 60 artworks by New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists in an idyllic natural environment. Open every day, from 10am.
Included in new installations on the sculpture trail this winter, Brick Bay is proud to present two beautifully carved totara forms, titled Malosi and Malosi - Jewels. They are the work of artist Ioane Ioane, whose practice encompasses sculpture, painting, installation and ritual performance. Originally from Samoa and now based in Auckland, Ioane’s family moved to New Zealand when he was six years old.
Recalling this journey across space and time, Ioane’s art is firmly rooted in Samoan culture, often acknowledging the spiritual and transitional nature of ‘va’, a rich Samoan concept meaning ‘space between’. The va is a place of affirmation, the spiritual space between two cultures, between people and the environment, connections between past and present. He describes this space as one of transformation, one of birth and becoming, adding: "Sacred spaces are not necessarily a church, but it's a place where one likes to be...a place of affirmation.”
Ioane talks of returning to his birthplace of Samoa after a 50 year absence; “coming back to my roots, practicing the language, connecting with my ancestors and family back there had a profound impact on me.” He realised why he had always been drawn to maritime projects, with a profound connection to the ocean.
Ioane’s 2002 installation at the Auckland City Art Gallery, Fale Sa, included 500 carved cowry shells and three wooden totems, shown with a watery audio-lightscape. The sculptures at Brick Bay, both titled Malosi (Samoan for strength) evolve from this work. Cowry shells are of great importance in many cultures as currency, decoration and a symbol of strength, usually interpreted as male strength. But here, Ioane celebrates malosi as the strength of women from childhood through maturity to old age. Ioane notes: “‘Malosi’ is most often seen, or portrayed, as the physicality of the male…[but] the reality of soul-strength lies predominantly in women. If men are receptive, they too can find the strength of their women ancestors - the woman-spirit in all. Why else would nature be ‘mother’?” Ioane has a deep appreciation for women, describing himself as “3,055 years old - an extension of my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, my community and my nation.”
The coiled energy and calm presence of the carved totara forms, positioned beside the watery expanse of the lake, are grounded in the artist’s past, providing viewers an opportunity to contemplate the possibility of their own transformation and growth.
