Welcome to our Art Exhibition 'Identity', where the creativity and individuality of our students take centre stage.

‘Identity’
Matamata Intermediate School Art Show

Curated by Genevieve Southcombe

6th – 17 November 2024
Community Gallery

Curator Statement

Welcome to our Art Exhibition ‘Identity’, where the creativity and individuality of our students take centre stage. Each artwork on display reflects the unique perspectives and personal stories of our talented students.

The ‘Bodies in Motion’ art was created during the Olympics 2024 and is inspired by the style of Futurism. During this creation, students were encouraged to express their pieces through the mediums of blending Oil Pastel and using bold outlines. Prior to this, students have studied proportions of figures, blending harmonious colours and movement with lines.  With their knowledge they have chosen to illustrate an Olympic athlete showing a series of repeated movements in their sport.

Self-portraits are inspired by the artist ‘Kehinde Wiley’ and the skill of delicate shading to bold are shown.  Observational drawing and proportions are a key element, alongside repeated patterns for the background.

‘Pop Art’ style drawings are inspired by ‘Romero Britto’.  Use of complementary and harmonious colours are encouraged alongside repeated patterns with bold colours.

Finally displayed is ‘Identity Art’.  This is inspired by a recent art visit to the Morrinsville Art Gallery.  When students visited the gallery and enjoyed viewing the local cows on display this was inspiration for them to look at their own identity.  This opened creativity as to what animal they identified with and how this relates to their identity.  When creating their piece, students were required to identify symbols of their culture and an animal that symbolises them.  They were also asked to have a background to tie this together.

We hope you enjoy this celebration of identity, self-expression and creativity.

About the Matamata Intermediate School

Matamata Intermediate is an exciting and vibrant school.  At Matamata Intermediate, we pride ourselves on providing a unique environment specifically designed to develop the talents, confidence & independence of the emerging adolescent in Years 7 & 8.

Our school vision is: Inspired learners. Empowered to achieve. We have always had achievement at the heart of our school’s purpose from day one with ‘whaia te kaha’ as our school motto. The core virtues of commitment, common-sense and consideration, known as the 3Cs, underpin all we do in our stimulating learning environment. We also encourage a growth mindset to support the development of perseverance and resilience.

About the Morrinsville Art Gallery

The Morrinsville Art Gallery is the leading art gallery in the Matamata-Piako District. We work to create a vibrant environment for all locals and visitors to Morrinsville and the Mighty Waikato Region. As a charitable trust run by two staff members and thirty-plus volunteers and overseen by our wonderful Trustees, we are constantly striving to create opportunities for our community to connect within an art context.

We are immensely proud to be a central player in Morrinsville’s role as a vibrant and creative hub for art and culture in rural and greater Waikato. We are committed to supporting local and national artists.
With a diverse programme of exhibitions and events, we aim to inspire and engage our community with the transformative power of art.

Contact us with your exhibition proposals or projects at info@morrinsvillegallery.org.nz we look forward to hearing from you.