Passions of Pele : with Canadian artist Andrea Matus deMeng

October 6, 2019 - October 12, 2019 · 5:00PM - 5:00PM

place Maui > West Side

Pele Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes: She who shapes the Sacred Lands. Goddess of Hula, Purveyor of Passion. Pele is both creator and destroyer and one of the most widely recognized deities in Hawaiian mythologies.

Now when you think of Hawaii, you are probably picturing a vacation in paradise, and you will definitely have that experience, but, Hawaii also has a rich cultural heritage with fantastical mythologies and traditions over 1500 years old. It is with these mythologies in mind that we are going to take a humble piece of wood and transform it to create a magnificent and ancient looking stone tablet depicting some of these beloved stories with our own twist of course. Combining traditional and contemporary methods we will explore the richly layered world of mixed media collage and assemblage integrating a variety of 2d and 3d methods to create something worthy of the Goddess Pele.

One such myth tells of Pele’s Long Sleep and while she dreams and adventures, she discovers hula dancing, gets married, is enraptured, and alas is woken up. We are going to loosely base our tablet on one of Pele’s adventures. Perhaps your tableau will portray something historical, perhaps something personal…the choice is yours.

This is a unique Immersive Class Experience - USD1825

Local Artist Experience (workshop only) : USD600

About the Artist:
Andrea Matus is a visual artist living in Vancouver BC who exhibits as well as teaches her unique combination of painting, collage, assemblage and sculpture throughout the world with collectors in Canada, USA, Europe and Australia.

In her art, Matus creates powerful visual statements of the role of women in both history and mythology. Through her culling of images from contemporary sources, historic iconography, travels and original designs, a sense of surreal worlds is evoked. Combining colour, symbolism and ornamentation: each motif is a transport to a different time, place and culture. Through her process, discordant shapes and designs are manipulated to find harmony where at first there seems none. A part of the human experience is created when these collections form new narratives and meanings.

The improvisational nature of collage coupled with the very deliberate method of painting creates a balance of spontaneity and premeditation in her work. Always interested in the pushing the boundaries of how different materials can be combined, Matus is forever experimenting with alternate ways of using contemporary materials, most recently materialized in her series of Optical Collages.