Opening Speakers:
Ben Bergman, Gallery Director
Sylvia Marsters, Artist
Sylvia Marsters returns to Rarotonga with her latest solo exhibition, E Moemoe'a Naku 2, an evocative continuation of her 2022 exhibition E Moemoe'a Naku – A Dream of Mine (Bergman Gallery, Auckland). In this new body of work, Marsters deepens her exploration of memory, place, and perception, creating paintings that oscillate between the tangible and the ephemeral. Infused with a heightened dreamlike sensibility, these works invite the viewer into a liminal space where reality and imagination blur, offering glimpses of landscapes that are at once real and reimagined.
At the heart of Marsters' practice is an enduring dialogue with the land and cultural identity. She reflects on her personal and artistic journey, stating: "Twenty years ago, I came to Rarotonga for the first time as the Creative New Zealand artist in residence. That initial encounter provided me with a profound and enduring connection to this environment— a foundation upon which I have continued to build my artistic inquiry. The unique characteristics of this place, its nature, its people, and its cultural traditions have shaped my visual language and deepened my understanding of belonging. My new exhibition is an ode to my 'Ipukarea'—my ancestral home—a sacred place that continues to inform and inspire my work."
Through her mastery of light, color, and form, Marsters crafts an immersive viewing experience where perception is in flux. Her paintings capture fleeting moments—shadows moving across tropical foliage, the shifting hues of a lagoon at dusk, the whispered presence of ancestors—suggesting a world that is seen not only with the eyes but also with the spirit. E Moemoe'a Naku 2 stands as both a personal meditation and a broader artistic inquiry into how landscapes hold memory, how place shapes identity, and how art can serve as a bridge between the physical and the metaphysical.
