Exhibition Opening: Waiho I Te Toka Tu Moana | Tangaroa College

Waiho I Te Toka Tu Moana | Steady like a rock in the Ocean. Over the past few years our students have felt the pull of society, the disruption of Covid and the constant push to keep on keeping on. Staying the course ‘steady like a rock in the ocean’ is not as easy as it sounds. To build resilience, to remain focused and to think creatively requires time, effort and whanau support. This exhibition is a testimony to our students, our community and each whanau our students represent. It is a celebration of what has been achieved despite hardship, through struggle and with fantastic attitude. We are incredibly proud of our young artists and have been taught just as much as we hope we have taught them. We invite you to come and experience their journey through their art and celebrate our young warriors together. Waiho I Te Toka Tu Moana.

This exhibition features artwork from students at Tangaroa College from 12 to 18 years of age. The work consists of animations and digital artwork from the Year 9 Art students as part of the Integrated Curriculum Program at Tangaroa College, combining Digital Technology and Visual Art. There are also drawings and paintings from our Year 10 classes; based on Paul Cézanne and Fatu Feu'u. The Year 11 art students have explored the mediums of Painting, Photoshop and Printmaking to create artworks based on nature. Finally, we have Year 12 and Year 13 Visual Arts student work based on the theme "Inside Outside", exploring the mediums of Sculpture, Painting and Photography, which students have used for NCEA assessments this year.

Image credit: Gail Hohaia