tracey tawhiao

Wairuaatua, 2009
Wood, vinyl, paint
Dimensions variable
Site-specific - commissions available Pricing options on request

The award-winning Glass House designed by renowned architect Noel Lane has been covered in paint! But this is not the work of a vandal; it is the art installation of Tracey Tawhiao.

In the project titled Wairuaatua, meaning godly spirit or butterfly, the artist illustrated on the surfaces of the Glass House restaurant - the gateway to Brick Bay Sculpture Trail and home of Brick Bay Wines. Tracey Tawhiao, who has always wanted to graffiti a public structure, stated: “Brick Bay has offered me my first opportunity to do this without getting arrested!”

Tawhiao’s project extends to illustrating on objects in the surrounding landscape including the rustic long-drop. She has also suspended huge sheets of clear vinyl high in the trees on the Sculpture Trail, with their illustrated surfaces casting shadows throughout the bush.

The graffiti-style illustration at Brick Bay celebrates the beauty of impermanence. Tawhiao explains: “When I do these drawings I am really acting out a super-hero in myself spreading Wairuaatua blessings. My intention is that people will feel secure in the impermanence and find a lot to be thankful for in the here and now.”

Brick Bay founders Christine and Richard Didsbury noted: “We were drawn to Tracey’s vision to sensitively transform the Glass House with the lyrical beauty of her illustrative work.”