Vicar of Geraldine Reverend Tony Kippax said The Last Supper by John Badcock, 13 panels of self-portraits measuring 13 metres long, would be a backdrop to services during Lent which was a time of reflection and self-examination before Easter. Continue reading

The New Zealand Herald desceribes Visesio Poasi Siasau's work as tapa cloth measures 4.4m by 18m.

"But these words hardly capture the ambition and strangeness of the artist's work," says Scott Hamilton.

"Any reader of the Herald who examines the photograph of Siasau's ngatu carefully will notice that the image of Christ on one of his panels is decorated, or defaced, by a dollar sign."

"In previous works, including a series of sculptures made from glass and a type of plastic, Siasau has crucified the Tongan god Tangaloa and placed Catholic icons like Mary and Joseph on a sort of chessboard where members of the pantheon of old Polynesian gods lurk."

Visesio, known as Sio, has received a six-month residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Programme in New York, plus a stipend and a trophy created by sculptor Terry Stringer.

Sio was born in Tonga and grew up in Haveluloto, a poor suburb on the edge of Nuku'alofa.

He comes from a hereditary guild of Tongan tufunga or tohunga.

He worked as an electrician in the Tongan Navy.

He moved to New Zealand 20 years ago and became inspired to take up art as a career while living with his uncle, a carver, in Otara.

Last year Sio graduated with the first master's degree in the applied indigenous knowledge programme in the Pacific, after studying at Te Wananga o Aotearoa in New Zealand.

He sees himself as a tufunga‘i, practitioner, and draws on Tongan understanding of things to interpret what traditional knowledge keepers have passed down.

Scott Hamilton says Sio's art can be seen as an attempt to reconnect the streets of Nuku'alofa with the Tonga of his ancestors using not only oral tradition but the work of palangi scholars.

He delves into the context of divinity figures in order to explore their making, meaning, and function in Tongan society and the intersection between this type of deity and Christianity.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• wallaceartstrust.org.nz
• readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

The exhibit is called Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea, and runs from Dec. 5, 2014 to Apr. 12, 2015. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, this might be worth a trip.

But even if you can't see the exhibit in person, don't worry. The museum has provided an interactive feature on its website that allows people to view the great pieces of Marian art from the exhibit. The feature also includes helpful descriptions of each work's origins and significance.

See this beautiful tribute to Our Lady here.

Sources

• Catholic Vote
• Image: The Leader

Not only does Quarton have an captivating sense of rhythm and beauty, his colour is also stunning. Look at his paintings

Begun in 2013 six months were spent cutting and sticking the glass Smalti with progress only slowly being made piece by piece. Click here to look at photographs of the mosaic

The mosaic was transported to Canada by air and road it was installed by artist Michael Pervan in late 2013.

Local craftsmen added the aged oregon timber frame according to Studio specifications and all was set for the blessing of the work held on 30^th January 2014, coinciding with the exact date of the founding of the Parish of St Joseph one hundred years ago.

Archbishop Richard Smith invoked God's blessing upon the Blessed Sacrament Mosaic surrounded by hundreds of Parishoners amidst a grand air of celebration.

The Studio of John the Baptist committed to the Image of the unseen God in the Icon of Christ and to the Sacred Mysteries connected with His Life, Death, and Resurrection.

They represent these mysteries through Sacred Art and Iconography.

Their work is commission based and graces Cathedrals, Parishes, Schools, Institutions, and family homes.

The studio, formed in 2005

Source

• The Studio of John the Baptist Newsletter
• Image: The Studio of John the Baptist