There’s a small and vibrant art community in Savusavu, producing contemporary art in various mediums: metal sculpture, acrylic painting, fabric art, mosaics, concrete sculpture, craft work wrought from natural and re-purposed materials. Every so often we get together for an exhibition, but if you visit when its not on we can help you see some of the art.
Shane has become one of Fiji’s most sought-after practising artists . His visual language conveys an acute understanding of form. He specializes in mild and stainless steel, aluminium, copper and bronze. His most recent creation is the magnificent rearing horse in Sigatoka. He works out of a studio in Savusavu and can be visited on appointment.
Lynne McLaren works in the hardest of mediums to reflect the softness of nature. Her material is concrete – a difficult, unforgiving and inherently insensible medium, and yet she finds it absorbs every detail during casting.
“I have to work fast because concrete sets quickly,” she says. “Casting to a form is easy, the finishing takes a while longer. I love doing free form pieces as you can never tell what the finish will be like. These surprise me all the time.”
Out of this comes an arresting array of bowls, plates, dishes and pots suitable for the home and the garden. They range from small incidental pieces suitable for holding bits and pieces like jewellery, pens or house keys, to large creations that are so heavy they can only be placed in the center of a table or out in the garden and then left there to display whatever the owner chooses – fruit or flowers or shells from the beach. She uses colour sparingly, but is increasingly looking at adding tones.
Lynne is a Savusavu resident. With the help of her husband Lindsay, she has set up her workshop at home overlooking the bay.
Adami is the name used by Iretta Micskey – her grandmother’s maiden name and much easier than the Hungarian name of Micskey.
Iretta arrived in Fiji in 2004 after many of years of sailing with her husband. They became Fiji citizens and finally the artist had a room of her own. Her paintings developed in new and invigorating ways, reflecting the influences of Fiji: very large underwater fantasies and/or seascapes and clouds seen through jungle apertures. The fantasy aspect developed into the small paintings she is doing today in her Faberge Fiji series of stylized and jeweled fish, shells, turtles, octopi, and the like.
Iretta has also developed a unique line in using local natural materials to create a stunning array of crafts, and has been instrumental in passing on these skills to some of the local craftswomen in Savusavu.
For over 35 years, Fabric artist and tutor Angie Rakai-Niumataiwalu has been mastering the art of color and fabric to create colorful patterns that will not only liven up your room but, brighten up your day.
Angie’s traditional village is Nakobo although she had no experience of the village until she had left school in Suva. She was then sent back to Nakobo by her father who was a cousin of the Tui Cakau and wanted to preserve the knowledge and traditions of the people. She spent seven very happy years there, loving the process of learning the crafts of her ancestors, but eventually decided it was time to spread her wings. She focused on fabric design, working with a small shop in Savusavu, building on her skills and starting to teach others. She ran workshops for the YWCA in Suva and was recruited by the Director for the Ministry of Youth to run workshops all over Fiji. The next step was an offer from the SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) to do similar tuition. After she got married, she lived in New Zealand and Thailand. She is now based back in Savusavu and has been touring Fiji giving sold-out workshops in fabric art.
Katrina Brown’s first foray into art was in the medium of mosaics. She and a friend were inspired by the vivid intricacy it offered, and determined to learn how to do it. To this day, some 25 years later, her mosaics can be seen in various resort swimming pools and foyers around Fiji (Fiji Gateway, Macombo, Dominion, Hot Springs), with the most spectacular of her creations on a two story wall at Montfort Technical College in Savusavu.
Koleta runs a small shop at the Copra Shed offering a selection of gifts and crafts, including her own charming designs of tapa wall hangings, bags and dolls. Born in Nausori, she moved to Savusavu with her husband in 1981 and has been here ever since. She has always created things – initially in the home by sewing or cooking, and more recently with handcrafts, her instinct has been to make lovely things. Her handmade flowers make for attractive permanent displays; her dolls are intriguing little people with wild hair; her pencil containers use tapa to cover the containers. She likes using local materials but looks for ideas far and wide.
Senimili has been working as a sales representative for the last 20 years but has recently started developing her own business.
My passion has always been empowering women. Due to this pandemic I became self employed and I work mainly using pandanus (voivoi) and natural hibiscus (vau strings). I also source homemade baskets from women in grassroots level to empower them economically.
Karen Bower lives in Savusavu and, until Covid 19 hit so many small businesses, had a successful art gallery at the Copra Shed where she sold her own paintings, plus a selection of artefacts and jewellery from other artists. She was born and raised in Suva and had a long standing interest in art which finally took off when she started taking art lessons from Dutch artists Jasper Schreurs and Dineke Kaye. She uses oils, watercolours, acrylics and oil pastels and her subject matter embraces both figurative and abstract styles. She is particularly well known for her captivating semi-naïve scenes of life around the town and villages of Vanua Levu, although her style has recently taken on a more impressionistic approach. She is also the mother of Shane Bower.
Rosalia is a Savusavu local; born in Nukubalavu village, she gained her secondary education locally and then went to live in Suva for some years where she raised a family. She returned to Savusavu in 2006 and started to focus on making art and crafts and selling them to tourists. She has benefited from various training programmes supported by the government and the UN, and holds the government sponsored Fijian Made certificate which aims to encourage local artisans in preserving and developing Fijian crafts. She can be found every day at the handicrafts section of the Savusavu market – despite the drop in trade that has come with the temporary closure of overseas tourism she is still offering her very special items to locals and looking forward to the re-opening of the borders.
Originally from Samoa, Mayvian moved to Fiji 9 years ago, and now calls Savusavu home.
During this global pandemic, I had been blessed with an opportunity to rediscover myself and together with my family started a small business, May’s Elei Prints. May’s Elei Prints is a combination of my two cultures, which signifies our peaceful friendly people, actions, and ideas. I offer a wide range of unique Island wear for everyone.
