Renowned Cook Islands artist Mahiriki Tangaroa and the godfather of the Pacific contemporary art, Fatu Feu’u, will join forces to host an exhibition to showcase their love for art later this month.

The much-anticipated exhibition will be held at the Bergman Gallery on August 27, aiming to inspire both young and old artists to continue pursuing their artistic talents.

Tangaroa reminisced about the good old days with the famous Feu’u during the latter’s visit to Rarotonga about 20 years ago. Feu’u’s presence had a significant impact on the community, inspiring them to maintain a strong connection to their arts.

The upcoming exhibition is a great initiative to acknowledge Feu’u for keeping the relationships going between the artist and the arts community. The visiting artist will be in Rarotonga for five days.

“During the three months as being assigned to these areas of exhibitions and workshops he was very active in the last community (engagement) and that’s something that I think it needed, that sort of injection of energy, and he managed to achieve that,” explains Tangaroa.

“He did a painting workshop, wood carving workshop, and many others as well as three exhibitions, one major solo show at the National Museum and exhibition here and one at the art studio.

“He was very active within the community and he managed to bring people together and just create this creative energy again so that was for three months and he came back to do a commission for Motu seven years ago which was a major installation that went up.”

Ben Bergman, director of the Bergman Gallery, explained that Feu’u had approached him about hosting the exhibition at his gallery which he immediately agreed to given the impact it would have on the local community.

“That’s basically how this show came about now but the origins of the connection with Fatu and to this show running a bit deeper about 20 years ago when Mahiriki was a curator at the National Museum and she was overseeing the Creative New Zealand Artist and Residence programme in conjunction with the Cook Islands Ministry of Culture at the time,” Bergman explained.

“Fatu came up in 2002 as part of that programme and there was series of exhibitions, workshops, public appearances … Mahiriki was one of the artists.

“One of Fatu’s most important legacies in addition to his painting and carving career is the fact that he had aways mentored and encouraged and stimulated discussion around Pacific contemporary art when nobody was really recognising it. He was the one that was always there pushing it and encouraging younger Pacific islanders to keep doing and exhibiting their work.”

Feu’u with Samoan ancestry has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand.

He has been an exhibiting artist since the early 1980s and became a full-time artist in 1988. Prior to that, he worked as a designer and colour advisor for textile and car companies.

Tangaroa is a New Zealand-born Cook Islander who is a former director of the Cook Islands National Museum. She is recognised as a leading contemporary Cook Islands artist, and her work is regularly exhibited in galleries in New Zealand and the Cook Islands.