'Unhinged' door opens to many more years

Village Arts gallery in Kohukohu has celebrated its fifth year with an exhibition, Doors Unhinged, to honour the local arts community.

The birthday celebration and exhibition was kicked off by John Ngapera and Paul White of the Ngai Tupoto hapu.

Village Arts trustee John Wigglesworth told those gathered that if it weren't for the tangata whenua, the "unhinged artists" would not have been accepted and successful in the community.

Trustee Marg Morrow said that with each exhibition the gallery had become "tighter".

Another founder, Wally Hicks, talked of the journey from the days when they each put in $10 to run the space to what it is today.

"We didn't really know what we were doing, we had to learn. We did bumble and bungle along the way," he said.

Rawene NorthTec art tutor Sue Daly congratulated the team behind the gallery and said she looked forward to another 15 to 20 years of success.

Trustees cut a cake decorated by a local cake-maker, which was an artwork in itself, depicting the facade of Kohukohu's main street gallery. The exhibition opening showcased local talent - Dallon August, Janice Barratt, Lindsay Antrobus Evans, Alby Hall, Liz Mcauliffe, Dorothy Mckinnon, Rachel Miller, Marg Morrow, Adrian Reading and Chris Warr.

Dallon August took a decrepit door from an old vehicle that graced the waterfront and repainted the piece while maintaining its character.

Dorothy McKinnon presented a stunning work - a recycled door with images of New Zealand's colonial past imposed on its surface.

Rachel Miller took the door idea in a completely different direction, basing her work on the band The Doors' most "unhinged" song, Celebration of the Lizard. Large sculptures by Lindsay Antrobus Evans anchor and ground the show.