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Fantastic Journeys
Paintings inspired by Ursula Le Guin ::: Thistle Hall, Wellington, 17-22 August 2010
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- WHEN:
- 17-22 August 2010
- Gallery Opening: Tue 17 August, 6-9 pm
- Opening Times: 11 am – 8 pm Tue-Sat, 11 am - 6 pm Sun
- WHERE:
- Thistle Hall, cnr Cuba St & Arthur St, Wellington
- WHO:
- Featherston artist Astrid Nielsch has been trying to make sense of the world around her by painting pictures since she was two years old. Reading the works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a teenager inspired her not only to give shape to her imagination with paint, but to pick up the harp and embark on a career as a professional musician that has taken her across the globe, and ultimately to New Zealand.
- Compelled by the New Zealand landscape and light, she has now found her way back to her first artistic passion. She presents a series of oil paintings inspired by the acclaimed American Fantasy and Science Fiction author Ursula Le Guin.
- In her musical incarnation as Asni the Harper, Astrid will perform on the harp twice daily during the exhibition, at 12.30 pm and 6 pm.
- WHY:
- Come see Dragons! Wizards and magic! Underground labyrinths, enchanted islands, and overall, the Yin and Yang of Light and Darkness.
Featherston artist Astrid Nielsch presents her first solo exhibition at Thistle Hall in Wellington. After reading Ursula Le Guin’s "Earthsea" novels on a summer holiday on the South Island, she was overwhelmed by a rush of images inspired by the author’s strong imagery. In December 2008 she began to work on the series of paintings which form the backbone of the exhibition.
Set in a waterbound world of islands and wizards traveling in boats, the imaginary world of "Earthsea" is reminiscent of the Pacific Islands, and owes much to the indigenous cultures of the American Pacific Coast. The name "Earthsea", incidentally, in some languages translates to the same word as "Zealand"!
Profoundly influenced by the Chinese philosophy of Daoism and the I Ging, Ursula Le Guin is one author who has taken the fantasy genre and turned its stereotypes on their head. Rather than the usual struggle of Good versus Evil, her work stresses the importance of keeping a balance between light and dark, and acknowledging the shadow side of one’s self. Her stories may be all about wizards and magic and dragons, but they contain a deep psychological and spiritual truth.
About the artist
Featherston artist Astrid Nielsch has been trying to make sense of the world around her by painting pictures since she was two years old. Reading the works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a teenager inspired her to create her own body of fantasy illustrations, first in watercolours, later in oils. Stories, myths and songs have always been her main source of inspiration.
The imaginary universe of Middle-earth also inspired her to pick up the harp, and embark on a career as a professional musician that has taken her across the globe, and ultimately to New Zealand. As “Asni the Harper” she has produced two solo CDs. Her latest album “Travels in Middle-earth” was released in 2008, to international acclaim.
The intense visual experience of the New Zealand landscape and light compelled her to take her painting more seriously again. Astrid is largely self taught, but since 2004 she has been attending various art classes, and participates in several online art communities. There she has found the peer support that enabled her to develop her painterly skills more systematically. She has been encouraged to explore the connections between the fine motor skills she had acquired as a musician, and the art of the pencil and brush.
In 2008, Astrid completed the Diploma of Multimedia at Natcoll Design College, and decided to give up her live performing career, in order to concentrate on her painting, and her newly acquired skills in professional web and multimedia design.
In 2009, she was awarded an Enterprise Allowance Grant to set up her own business, Asni: Multimedia Art & Design. She runs her own website www.asni.net, where she sells prints of her artwork, sheet music and CDs, and designs websites for other artists and musicians, independent professionals, and small businesses in New Zealand and abroad.
"Fantastic Journeys" is Astrid’s first solo exhibition. After reading Ursula Le Guin’s "Earthsea" novels on a summer holiday on the South Island, she was overwhelmed by a rush of images inspired by the author’s strong imagery. In December 2008 she began to work on the series of paintings which form the backbone of this exhibition.
About Ursula K Le Guin
Ursula K Le Guin's official website
The Grande Dame of American fantasy and science fiction, was born in 1929 in Berkeley, California. Her father, German anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, is known for his work on the indigenous cultures of California. Her mother, Theodora Kroeber, was a successful writer. Growing up in this academic and artistic environment, she discovered her love for writing early.
But it would take until the 1960’s to publish her first science fiction novel. Her work soon began to attract major awards: her fifth novel, “The Left Hand of Darkness”, published a year after the first “Earthsea” book, won both the Nebula and Hugo awards, and can be considered a 20th century classic. It explores a culture where there is no gender separation: the inhabitants of the fictional planet Gethen are ambisexual, with the capacity to turn into either men or women at different times in their lives.
Social anthropology, feminism, ecology, xenophobia and racial discrimination are constant concerns in Le Guin’s work. The “Earthsea” novels break with a long tradition of eurocentric fantasy writing, in that their hero and most of the other characters are a dark skinned people, their culture inspired by American First Nations as much as Europe, living in a water-bound world of scattered islands reminiscent of the Pacific.
Another strong influence on Le Guin’s work is the Chinese philosophy of Daoism. Rather than the stereotypical battle of Good versus Evil that characterizes so much of the fantasy genre, her stories stress the importance of keeping a balance between light and dark, Yin and Yang, and of acknowledging the shadow side of one’s self.
The author lives in Portland, Oregon. Her latest book, “Lavinia”, appeared in 2008.
"Earthsea" synopsis
The Wizard of Earthsea: the young wizard Ged, a strong but unschooled talent, is taken on as apprentice by the wise old Mage Ogion. Noting his impatience, Ogion sends Ged to the wizard school on Roke Island. By an act of competitive ambition, Ged releases a shadow into the world, whom he will eventually have to hunt down and face.
The Tombs of Atuan is set largely in an underground labyrinth consecrated to the Dark Powers of the Earth. Tenar, the young High Priestess of the Tombs, is torn between her sacred duty to kill the trespasser Ged, and her curiosity about the outside world, and about this man and stranger.
The Farthest Shore: an older and wiser Ged embarks on a quest to find and fix the hole were magic is leaking out of the world, leaving wizards without their spells and singers without their songs. He is accompanied by young Lebannen, who has to fulfill a prophecy so that a king will return to rule in peace in Earthsea.
Earthsea and all characters, places and magic therein are owned and operated by Ursula K Le Guin and her legal representatives.
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