Sylvia Marsters returns to Rarotonga for her 100th career exhibition project with a new collection of paintings and prints.

Sylvia writes, ‘Hibiscus, Gardenia and Frangipani hold a special place in my work, in my heart. They have drawn me (quite literally) to the distant shores of my ancestral home  (Ipukarea), the Cook Islands.

Early in my fine arts career, mentors Fatu Feu’u and Lois McIvor emphasised the importance of making a pilgrimage to the Pacific Islands. They realised even then, its significance. Despite growing up in suburban Auckland, or perhaps because I did, my fathers homeland remains an endless source of fascination. Part fact, part fiction — some memory, some fantasy.

E Kura Reitumanava no Rarotonga is the title for this new exhibition. Its foundation is; Rei – a talisman necklace or ‘ei used only on special occassions; Kura – sacred & special gift or message; Manava — from the heart; the spiritual/emotional centre of one’s being; the breath of life.

The small and intimate paintings in this exhibition are my love letters for Rarotonga.’

Translation of Love letters for Rarotonga by Ta Vainerere, courtesy of Jean Mason, Cook Islands Library & Museum.