"Meat the local artist" by Sharu Delikan

Meat and Lollies is not the usual "art speak" label you expect to find attached to a display of experimental art. But there's a healthy motive for the message in the title of the Otara exhibition.

"At first, we were asked to comment on obesity and diabetes," says Otara artist Sean Kerrigan, "but we all agreed that it would be better to expand on the idea rather than telling people that they're too fat."

Kerrigan initially considered using the word "meat" as a metaphor for hard work and attachment, and he felt "lollies" could represent frivolity and a reward system.

"I decided to use my artwork to depict the dilemma many Pacific Islanders in South Auckland face," he says.

Curated by Janet Lilo and Ema Tavola, Meat and Lollies, in the inaugural Manukau Festival of Arts, features works by Antonio Filipo, Leilani Kake, Mele Penitani, Genevieve Pini and Siliga Setoga.

In keeping with Kerrigan's belief that you should work with materials that are readily available, he chose plywood which he's managed to acquire at no cost.

"I heard there was a place doing infrastructure works and that they had so much plywood that they didn't know where to put it."

Likewise, he's decided to add sound to his exhibit made up of sampler electronics, which he's recycled from toys thrown out during the local inorganic collection.

"I love picking rubbish off the street to use for my art. I also love the way people look at me as if I'm a vagabond."

Kerrigan believes the large scope the participating artists have to work with will allow them to "dig deep into themselves. I believe it's a great way to raise the stakes to weed out the pretenders".

He is deliberately vague about the meaning of his artworks, he says, because he doesn't like telling the public what to feel or how to respond.

"I want to give them the freedom to make up their own minds."

Kerrigan acknowledges a "love-hate relationship" with the art world.

"I go through phases where I give it up for a few months or years and then end up coming back.

"Art has become too structured. For example, everyone has a masters degree, which seems to come before the art."

Meat & Lollies, Fresh Gallery Otara, Otara Town Centre, Manukau City, Oct 31 to Nov 22. Ph 271 6019.

This article appeared in the sometimes delivered "Aucklander - South Edition" sometime in October or November.

Congratulations Leilani!

Leilani Kake has been offered an opportunity to show this work, Tino Rangatira Tanga at Corban Estate Arts Centre from 6 March - 5 April 2009.

Pretty diverse...

Resting on your laurels by Sean Kerrigan

Tino Rangatira Tanga by Leilani Kake

Father/Daughter by Mele Penitani


MEAT & LOLLIES opening at Fresh Gallery Otara, Thursday 30 October

Tino Rangatira Tanga

Leilani Kake's new video installation is called Tino Rangatira Tanga.

She says, "My beautiful father, Richard Kake, passed away this April 2008. He is a man that embodies Tino Rangatira Tanga, and surrounded himself with the love of music, whanau and Te Ao Maori."

Tino Rangatira Tanga is a poignant and emotionally loaded three screened video installation that speaks to the power of waiata / Maori song depicting a beautiful homage to an amazing man and the community and cultural landscape he draws from.

Leilani Kake's 2007 work, Ariki is in the group exhibition, Le Folauga organised by Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, opening at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan on 13 December 2008. Le Folauga runs until 5 April 2009.

Coming together...

Antonio Filipo's new work, YNOT (200) series

Pigs can fly!!

Hi guys I hope everyone is doing good!!

Well this is my stuff that I've been working on. Just some rough ideas of what I want to do for this show and all I'm doing is responding to the theme 'Meat & Lollies.' For me Meat & Lollies is basically food that Pacific Islanders love to eat so my work has some parody in it and I definitely don't want to be all serious about it and take the arty farty approach. At first I really didn't know what to do and where to start so I just started with the obvious - the theme: Meat & Lollies.

Not far from work is a cool Chinese restaurant where I eat my pork on rice for lunch. They have duck as well but man the pork on rice is the best!! I would go there and they know straight away what my order is - 'pork on rye' (thats what it sounds like to me). Sometimes I have wontons and they always ask if I want to order some. Well anyways that was me everyday pork on rice for lunch. Now I eat subway for lunch and I'm eating the Veggie Delight sub - its pretty good. My workmate is a vegetarian and to be honest I don't know how they do it. We would talk about what kind of food we eat, why we eat it and all that stuff. Haha its funny cos I don't think I can live without meat. I'm a P.I and thats just apart of who we are - we are MEAT EATERS!! But eating healthy once in a while is cool and I told my mate that I won't have my pork on rye everyday now hehe!!

So thats how I came up with 'I will never eat pork again.' I was thinking about pork and saying to myself I will never eat pork again over and over. The more I said it, the more I knew I was lying to myself. So I scribbled the phrase in my book and drew a flying pig as to say: look at me I'm a flying pig!!

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