Opening Speakers
Kay George, Exhibiting Artist
Gaye Whitta, General Manager, CITC
Joan Gragg, Artist.
Kay George’s upcoming solo exhibition at Bergman Gallery marks a significant milestone—thirty years since her arrival in Rarotonga, a journey that has profoundly shaped her artistic practice. This exhibition is both a celebration and a reflection, tracing the evolution of her work from her earliest paintings to her most recent explorations in textile, printmaking, and digital media. Beginning with the very first painting she created in the Cook Islands in 1988, the exhibition is a visual narrative of three decades spent engaging with the cultural, social, and environmental changes in Rarotonga.
George’s practice is reflects a tactile relationship with materials, a sensibility cultivated from childhood, watching her mother work with fabric and clothing. This early exposure to textiles became a foundation for her artistic identity, first emerging in hand-painted cotton and linen fabrics in Sydney’s local markets and later evolving into layered compositions incorporating painting, photography, and screen printing across a variety of surfaces—including wood, furniture, and tiles. Her approach has always been adaptive, shaped by the materials available to her, a necessity in the early years when art supplies were scarce on the island. This resourcefulness led to unexpected innovations, from painting on dried banana leaves to screen-printing images onto PVC.
Alongside her husband, artist and educator Ian George, she played a key role in fostering an artistic community in Rarotonga. From early exhibitions held on the veranda of the historic Banana Court to the establishment of the Art Studio in 2002, George has been a significant force in the development of contemporary Pacific art. The Art Studio, which hosted local and international artists until 2016, provided a much-needed exhibition space for Pacific artists and remains an important chapter in the region’s creative history.
Throughout her career, George has been an astute observer of social transformation in Rarotonga, capturing the shifts in community life through her photographic silk-screen prints. Her practice evolved into a form of visual documentation, recording changes in architecture, public spaces, and cultural traditions. Notably, her 2008 Master of Art and Design thesis at Auckland University of Technology examined the changing role of adornment in Cook Islands women’s identity. This research culminated in a series of large-scale photographic prints on glossy PVC, exhibited internationally in the 2010 travelling group exhibition, MANUIA (with Rarotonga based BCA Gallery) in New York City.
In her latest works, George continues to explore new technologies and digital media, recognizing the ways in which contemporary art-making is shifting in response to technological advancements. Yet, despite these changes, her connection to her immediate environment remains central to her practice. Years of Colour is a culmination of this journey—a visual reflection on the landscapes, people, and experiences that have shaped her as an artist. The vibrant hues of the Cook Islands, from the brilliant pink and purple sunsets she first marveled at in 1988 to the subtle transformations of today, are woven throughout her work, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant reflection on place, time, and artistic perseverance.
