Veronica Green

The art of transmitting straightforwardly emotions is not necessary based on spoken communication, this concept is crystal clear to Veronica Green a young rising and yet already recognised visually-oriented artist from New Zealand.

Throughout my life, art has been a visual vehicle to express myself, to articulate ideas when they go beyond the range of spoken language.

Based in Wellington, but with Italian and Polish roots, Veronica successfully attended the Massey University, where she majored in contemporary Maori Art (Toi Atea) which is still now unquestionably one of her primary sources of inspiration.

Her techniques mainly include acrylic, dyes and oils on canvas, but also other materials such as cotton, spray, golden or silver leaves. This eclectic palette of tools and colours allows her quite a set of versatile creations that range from mythological echoes and rituals with a South Pacific visual touch, to modern architectural-urbanistic settings, through fable scenarios of her homeland landscapes. Veronica Green is remarkably fascinated by Maori cultural anthropology and religious cosmology as reflected in its traditional visual art and attempts to transfer her knowledge and experience paradigm to other cultures. Consequently she seeks for, investigates and gathers icons, signs, analogies and allegories from within diverse societies in order to convert them into art-material for her creations.

Veronica is particularly fond of the semeiology and symbology of birds. Since from ancient times humans have associated to the bird several religious meanings and powers, incarnating Gods and Goddesses; and even in modern times birds always impersonate deep concepts like liberty, timelessness, asceticism. Thus the theme of the bird pervades the artist’s production quite as much as the Maori traditional perception.

In addition to the irresistible call of the South Seas, Veronica Green is also in love with “la Serenissima”: the marvellous Venezia where, inspired by a contemporary “newspaper title” (i.e. the decision of chasing away the pigeons from Piazza San Marco) she has created several artworks representing the birds within the bittersweet and enchanting scenarios of Venice:

What really inspired me about Venice was its mass population of birds and the connection it had on people. The use of the space in San Marco’s square as a congregational area. Between the Venetian architecture and the city scape Venice to me is a mystical magic land in which the birds seem to dominate over the human population.

Ultimately in Veronica’s art fairy tales backgrounds host modern and factual themes, magic golden atmospheres blend with mysterious South Pacific rites, altogether with pale, masterly captivating tones and nuances. Therefore, for those who want to dream or remember of Venezia  while watching Veronica’s Piazza San Marco, here is a wonderful soundtrack: a marvellous version of Albinoni’s Sonata n. 6 in Sol Min Adagio.

He toi whakairo, he mana tangata.

[Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity]

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