Art @ the Library

Westland Arts Incorporated and Westland District Library are collaborating to make a free exhibition space available.

Art @ the Library is a small, nimble and flexible project that aims to provide exhibition space for artistic and innovative proposals.

Current Exhibit: Nikki Davies - My Interpretation of the Art at Lascaux Caves

Artist Statement:

The Lascaux Caves were discovered in 1940 by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat when his dog, Robot, fell down a hole. The enormous paintings that decorated the huge caves left people in awe. They were made by palaeolithic, (Stone Age,) people of Vezere Valley in southwest France from about 8000 BC. They were the very first to use art in the culture of hunting, symbols in their shamanic beliefs, and initiation rituals.
As an indication of their size, the auroch’s belly is 2 m from the ground.
The cave walls are very hard and impossible to carve. They used mineral based pigments: red oxide, soot black, yellow and brown ochres and painted with mats of moss and fur, fingers, and even blown through hollow reeds.
The caves were open to the public in 1946 but closed in 1963 due to deterioration by carbon dioxide and heat from human breath, but an exact replica of two of the halls was opened to the public in 1983 at Montignac in Dordogne. Virtual tours can be found on YouTube.

Nikki Davies is a printmaker living in Kumara. These intaglio prints are based on her research from the Lascaux Caves. Using hand stained paper and overworking in natural materials like charcoal Nikki has used the printmaking process as a way of bridging her creative practice with ancient art practices.

Printmaking is my happy place and I like to develop ideas in series. As a history buff I love exploring origins the shapes, the colours, the mysticism, and the passage of time fascinate me. Maybe I could have been there…

Nikki has exhibited her work in many galleries and her prints have gone to art-lovers in many countries. Please enjoy these samples of her enjoyment in art.

Please contact the artist if you are interested in purchasing any of the artworks 027 3084584