Bland cabinets across Tasman have again been turned into lively artworks by talented artists thanks to a continued partnership between Chorus and Tasman District Council.
Mayor Tim King says works are a celebration of everything Tasman, with a wide variety of themes and styles. “The works really brighten up the roadside and people’s day, connecting residents with their widely varying themes,” he says.
Over the past year, the programme has created five new pieces of public art from talented local artists. The works are as varied as they are colourful.
In Richmond’s Hill Street, there is a modern take on Hine-te-Kapua, the Māori goddess of the clouds, as well as a tribute to a very different kind of icon, that kiwiana staple Marmite. Also in Richmond is an abstract recreation of the inside of the cabinet, with a colourful series of interconnecting fibres.
In Motueka, there is another abstract creation, this time a tribute to the strong wāhine of the Tasman District, both living and their tīpuna.
Finally, just south of Wakefield on SH6, there is a bubbly subsurface seascape, bringing a splash of ocean blue to the State Highway.
Hine-te-kapua aka kootiro kandyfloss Artist: Nerys Ngaruhe
Sunny-tarium Richmond Artist: Stella Wilson
Connecting Artist: Pauline Neal
Ngā wāhine o Motueka Artist: Melissa Linton
Oceans Away Artist: Saraya Pomana
When the opportunity arises, often in conjunction with partners such as Chorus and Network Tasman, we're adding art to our infrastructure to make Tasman an even more beautiful place to live.
In Richmond you'll discover 'Fantail on Wensley' nestled amongst the bush and vegetation on Wensley Road. Chrissy Zesk has painted a fantail/pīwakawaka, which blends in perfectly with its surroundings.
In Mārahau, a cabinet painted by Cammie Blaisdell is titled ‘Connected’. It celebrates the beauty and intricacy of our interconnected ecosystem by featuring humble New Zealand creatures: tuna, puriri moth, and kōkōpū.
A Māpua cabinet, by Simon Neumegen, is titled ‘Stick Together’ and shows a Māpua sunrise and the village’s name rendered in driftwood, reflecting the village’s artistic diversity and nature.
‘Love Blooms’, by Dani Hedges, is featured on a Motueka cabinet and celebrates love in all its forms, and is intended to make people walking past it into town smile.
On another Motueka cabinet on the corner of High and Courtney Street, Amir Vollweiler has painted ‘Weka Island’, a parade of the cheeky birds that gave the town its name.
A Richmond cabinet artwork near Waimea College is titled ‘Beauty of Nature’ and was painted by River Day. It represents the nature that fills the Richmond and Tasman area.
In St Arnaud, Emma Erasmus has painted ‘Kārearea Landing’, which was inspired by the drive to the lake and seeing the birds soaring over the valleys.
Ligar Bay’s cabinet was painted by Krystal Pennell and is named ‘Rainbow Flora Birds’. It shows native birds in an explosion of colour.
Artist Julie Davies has called her work on Pah Street in Motueka 'Whio', featuring two Whio spotted near Flora Hut in Kahurangi National Park.
On Abel Tasman Drive in Clifton, Golden Bay artist Lorraine Polglase has titled her work 'Clifton Medley', which is a celebration of the local natural environment.
The classic kiwi one-lane bridge has been captured in this work in Aniseed Valley by artist Thijs De Koning titled ‘Two Bridges, One Way’.
The beautiful native birds of Lake Rotoiti inspired this work called ‘The Valley’ by Essie Erasmus at Glacial Terrace in St Arnaud.
Amber Sisarich’s art work is entitled Flora and Fauna in our Backyard and can be found on a cabinet in Hill Street, Richmond.
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