Second solo show for Toi Ora artist
22 August 2011 Auckland artist Bryan G. Slight returns to Te Karanga Gallery in September with a second solo show following on from Te Hokinga Mai, an exhibition in 2008 that featured 65 artworks – all chronicling Bryan’s life in prison, where he served a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence for his addiction to illegal substances.
His new show, which runs at Te Karanga Gallery from 3 to 15 September, will feature 30 mainly large contemporary works – very different, Bryan says, from the work he created in prison.
“I have a lot more access to materials these days and I like to use sustainable natural fibres such as coffee bean sacks and hemp,” Bryan says. “The theme of the exhibition is ‘creative expression unleashed’. If you like Jackson Pollock, this is where he left off.”
For Bryan, art has been a vital creative, healing and restorative process. A key part of his re-integration back into the community is Toi Ora Live Arts Trust, a creative space in Grey Lynn providing creative learning opportunities and a space for people living with mental illness.
“Connecting with Toi Ora when I was released was the best thing I did,” Bryan says. “I wouldn’t have survived without the people there. I come to Toi Ora as much as I can to make art. It’s a safe haven where I’ve been able to develop my art. It’s a great resource centre with heaps of creative modules to stimulate the imagination. It also provides professional development and encouragement from my peer group.”
The roar of the rugby crowd
Bryan says that even though he lives very near Eden Park and can hear the roar of the crowds from his home, he’ll be too busy to see any rugby during the Rugby World Cup.
He’s involved as a volunteer for two organisations: Psychiatric Survivors Trust and the Auckland Hearing Association. He’s also making up for the ten years he lost when he was in prison until 2008.
These days, Bryan is focussed on making a living from his art and picking up the positive threads of his life. He hopes to sell a lot of his works in the exhibition to provide him with some financial independence and also offer some support for his three children in Australia.
Bryan started painting when he was 16 and had left school. Now aged 55, he’s still painting.
“Painting has always been the best way for me to express myself,” he says. “It creates an emotional connection between the viewer and the creator. I also like the spontaneity of people’s reactions to my work.”
High-quality art materials
Early on when Bryan was in prison, a friend sent him high-quality art materials – paints, brushes, paper. Eventually, he was able to start using them.
“Once I got to minimum status, things started opening up for me because people could see that I was genuine,” he recalls. “Staff and management supported my request for education and self-development programmes beyond what was on offer.
“I also worked with the librarian to start up a book club, and it just grew and grew. We read some wonderful literature. Then I got weekly art classes going, which attracted more resources and tools, along with a local professional art tutor.”