H.E PRESIDENT RATU WILIAME KATONIVERE'S KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE BORN FROM FIRE EXHBITION 2023 – “RETURN TO THE FLAME”

Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Business House and Tourism Industry representatives;
Representatives of Government;
Members of the Public and Supporters of Fijian Art, Artists and Artisans;
Ladies and gentlemen.
 
Miau sa bula re and Warm greetings to you all! 

It is my absolute pleasure to join you this evening to open the 2023 iteration of ‘Born from Fire’, a prestigious exhibition of three-dimensional art created by Fijian artists and craftspeople at studios here in Fiji.

It is equally wonderful to see world class art being locally explored, made, and appreciated. Showcasing these finished pieces in this exhibition, in Fiji homes, businesses, resorts, restaurants, utilizing them as gifts and on public display around our beautiful islands as well as abroad is commendable. 

This latest Born from Fire exhibition is called ‘Return to The Flames’. An apt theme as this is a reflection of recent times, when for reasons all too familiar for us in Fiji and around the world. Similarly the majority of artists were unable to operate their studios, work with their teams and staff, hold exhibitions or even produce work at all.

For this reason, both Alice Hill of Hot Glass Fiji and Shane Bower of Imagination in Metal were thrilled to be able to “return to the flames” of their studios and workshops, and to get back to the furnace and the blowtorch to create all these new and wonderful pieces that are being exhibited in this beautiful space at the iconic Grand Pacific Hotel at the very heart of Suva. 

Last year, prior to attending the Commonwealth Games, I called on King Charles III, then still Prince Charles and presented His Majesty a gift from the people of Fiji, made by our very own Hot Glass Fiji – a glass tanoa that was green in colour signifying the forest and conservation – a common interest that we share and advocate.  I am of the hope that the piece will symbolise the authenticity and uniqueness of our islands, our people, our art and our commitment to conservation as well as invoking memories of talanoa around the tanoa as it is an important aspect of life in the Pacific.

Ladies and gentlemen, in Fiji, art and culture are deeply entrenched in our lives and is at the epicentre of who we are. We are proud of our traditional arts, crafts and skills that have been handed down through the generations. Crafts such as weaving, masi making, tapa printing and of course traditional woodcarving as reflected in the impressive tanoas we can see here, carved by Mr. Filimone Koto of Fulaga, a proud home of this ancient craft. As you see today, the tanoas on display while traditional in structure are rather contemporary and expressive in presentation, which are an artistic evolution of his skill.

As our traditions evolve, this fusion of old and new materials, techniques and inspirations are important. It is through this creativity that we are able to nurture and protect our traditional skills, arts and crafts while remaining attractive and unique for the market. 

In using them in a contemporary way, inspiring artists, techniques and materials by combining them with other materials, such as hand blown glass and hand worked metal, our artists can create new work alongside our existing traditions that would reflect our nation, its natural beauty, our culture, and the contemporary art that can be enjoyed by people the world over, who, when they see these pieces, think of Fiji.

I am greatly honoured to visit this exhibition and to see on display some of the art that is being created across Fiji, not just in the studios of Alice Hill and Shane Bower or the workshops of guest artists Lambert Ho and Filimone Koto, but in other studios and workshops, and in homes and villages around the country.

It is my pleasure to formally open the “Born from Fire Exhibition 2023 – Return to the Flames”
 
May God bless us all and may God Bless Fiji! 

Vinaka Vakalevu!