Whangarei Street Art Healing Trivia Quiz

Answer: Untitled

This "Untitled" is the work of Whangarei artist Melinda Butt. It can be found beside the railway embankment in Lower Bank Street.

It is generally considered that where the artist has chosen not to name a particular work, this allows it to speak for itself. Naming of artworks is a comparatively recent phenomenon, one at odds with greats such as Pablo Picasso who once asked: "What good does it do, after all, to impart explanations? A painter has only one language."

Despite Picasso's feelings, Melinda Butt added the following comments to her "Untitled" landscape:
"The theme of the event was Weaving the Threads of Humanity. This abstract landscape references two hands rising up through the land symbolising man's interaction and connection with the earth. There is a hidden portrait facing upwards as the bird takes flight just in front of the nose. I often reference flight in my work for a number of reasons. For this image, it symbolises the past, present and future, a transcendence of one realm into the next."

Answer: Kingfisher

The kingfisher or sacred kingfisher is a medium-sized bird found in New Zealand, Australia and parts of the Western Pacific. Its habitats include woodlands, forests, river valleys and mangrove swamps where it feeds on a range of invertebrates, crustaceans and fish.

This mural is named after the Maori theme of the 2019 festival and is the work of artists Charles and Janine Williams from Auckland in New Zealand. The couple travel throughout New Zealand creating visual stories (korero) connecting the land (whenua) and the local people (tangata whenua).

The artists say: "Represented in our design are the differing accounts of the local mountainous terrain of eastern Whangarei which speak of five brothers to some and to others a story of an unfaithful partner. Despite these differences, the five maunga (mountains) appear in the stories of all local people in some way and our design acknowledges these Iwi accounts. Mount Manaia (set apart in a darker shade) and the local Hatea river are acknowledged by the use of kaokao and triangular shapes. In Maori mythology the Manaia is depicted as having the head of a bird, the tail of a fish and the body of man - the use of the Kotare (Kingfisher) acknowledges this motif and its origins."

Answer: Water and nature

Each of the concepts listed in the answers have been associated with blue and green colours.

Many cultures utilise colour to symbolise different concepts or objects. Evidence suggests that mankind has been doing so since prehistoric times. Naturally, such symbolism forms a major part of many artworks.

"Respect Tomorrow" was created by Bryce Williams and Jasmine Fuller from Whangarei. At that time, Bryce said: "I decided to paint a weave pattern with this significant text and the help of my fiancé, Jasmine Fuller. The blue represents Whangarei's beautiful waterways and the ocean, and the green represents Whangarei's lush native forests. These threads of Whangarei are weaved together with a balanced text 'Respect Tomorrow' within. My take on Humanity is that together as a community we look after our resources including the waterways and the forests to 'Respect Tomorrow'."

Answer: Fresh

"Fresco" is the masculine Italian for "fresh" (the feminine form is "fresca"). Although it is uncertain whether this technique was used here, frescos result from painting on freshly applied wet plaster.

"Candice 00:00,02" is an artwork by the duo Dourone (Fabio Lopez and Elodieloll). On their website they utilise "Fragmented Record" as a term "to describe the study of the decomposition of movement / time and emotion / feeling." This mural was created from two photos taken in quick succession. The painting examines man's relationship with technology such as cell phones and how this can cause a loss of physical contact with others. Human species have to adapt to a changing planet.

Answer: Messenger

Hermes, Iris and Mercury are the messengers of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology.

The "Manaia" artwork was produced by Mateus Bailon from São Paulo, Brazil. The name is shared with Mount Manaia, a prominent maunga (mountain) overlooking Whangarei harbour and the surrounding district. Bailon's work looks for ways to connect people and nature, including his own fantastic creatures.

The Manaia is a mythological creature in Maori culture, depicted here in Bailon's mural. It is also a common motif in traditional artforms including carving and jewellery. With a bird's head, fish's tail and man's body, the Manaia is thought to be the messenger between mortals and spirits. It may also be shown as a serpent with its symbol used to protect against evil.

Answer: Small photo

This artwork was created by Lisa King from Adelaide, Australia. A photo of "Aunty Carm" can be seen clutched in Alex's hands at the bottom of the painting.

Lisa described her mural: "The brief for this festival was 'Weaving the Threads of Humanity'. The response was to build a portrait of my partner, Jarrad Jackson's father Alex Herewane who has strong Maori blood but also houses indigenous Australian roots. Thus, the perfect human for the weaving of the threads and the interconnection of the people of the lands, both Polynesian and Indigenous Australian together in unity as one.

"Alex's very proud Maori sister 'Aunty Carm' passed away unexpectedly three months ago and so it felt right to build a piece where I could bring a little bit of her back to the Homelands. This one's for you beautiful Herewanes."

Answer: Film reel

This untitled work was created by Swiftmantis and Ephraim Russell from Palmerston North in New Zealand. The duo worked as tattooists, with Ephraim informally educating Swiftmantis about Graffiti and Street Art. This undertaking was their first collaboration with a large-scale mural.

The artwork contains the unusual pairing of a kitten and a weta. The latter are endemic to New Zealand and are giant, flightless crickets. This group of some 70 species number amongst the world's heaviest insects.

Swiftmantis commented: "From the start, we really wanted a photographic depth-of-field look in our rendering, so the focal points are sharply detailed while the out of focus area are more blurry and soft. We started the concept by photographing everything ourselves. We photographed the Kitten and Weta from an upward angle so when we scale them up to the size of a 9-metre wall it really looks like they're looking down on you from street-view. These two creatures are unusual companions and reflect the unusual relationships we encounter in life. The unexpected friends we meet along the way that challenge and change our paths, and together help weave the threads of our future. This idea is often embellished in many cinematic motifs, and since the mural is painted on the Whangarei Cinema, we thought it would be fitting to encapsulate the whole freeze frame moment with a film-reel border."

Answer: Sign on a building

"Hongi - The Breath of Life" was painted on the back of the Whangarei Police Station by the Italian artist Millo (Francesco Camillo Giogino) from Rome. Millo has specialised in multi-storied murals with black and white lines, using small amounts of colour to brighten the work.

The hongi is a traditional Maori greeting. Both parties touch noses and foreheads together. At this point, the breath of life (the "ha") is exchanged and intermingles. Thus, both parties share their souls. Millo added, "thanks to this physical exchange, we are no longer a 'manuhiri' visitor, but rather 'tangata whenua', one of the inhabitants of the country".

Answer: Split image

"Selenaia" is the work of self-taught Irish artist Fin Dac (Finbarr Notte). His work has focused on portraying women, particularly in ethnic costumes and wearing mysterious masks. "Selenaia" is a portmanteau of Selena (the model's name) and Manaia (from the Street Prints Manaia festival).

Fin says "'Selenaia' was my take on the Street Prints Manaia theme 'weaving the threads of humanity'. A split image highlighting the dual ethnicity of model Selena Bellingham. Her clothing and adornments reflect both her Maori and Filipino heritage as well as the attributes associated with them."

Answer: Female identity

Street artist Amanda Valdes is from Miami, Florida. Her signature style incorporates doll-like women with big blank eyes, lashes and flowing hair. Valdes comes from an artistic heritage and held her first solo exhibition aged 18.

Some sources list this mural in Hannah Street as "Untitled" while others refer to it as "Whaitiri - Goddess of Thunder". Certainly, the artist found inspiration in Maori mythology where Whaitiri is seen as a personification of thunder. In this mythology, Tawhirimatea is one of the seven children of Papatuanuku (earth mother) and Ranginui (sky father) and is the god of weather, including thunder and lightning and storms.