From the very first voyages, pictures were fashioned for Europeans of the far lands that the sailors visited. Sometimes an artist would sail to the Indies at his own risk to make a living by painting. There was a need for accurate charting, exact representations of coastlines and of course, pictures of locally obtainable wares. We are now a far cry from that time in history, but we still desire to know what was then and learn from what is now. Davina’s current works include marine charts of our modern world. Her knowledge of cartography and biology is evident.
3D-Carved frame painting Suhartos gang 1996
Davina, you are a second generation traveller and expat born in New Zealand. After one year you moved to Australia. Your mother was a keen traveller and your father was travelling around the world as a recognized International Rugby Union player, representing the All Blacks and Wallabies. You came to stay in Bali at an early age and then left to pursue your desire to be an artist. Tell us about your experiences and insights on your return to a ‘new Bali’ a decade later.
I came to Bali when I was seven years old. I couldn’t imagine any other childhood at that stage and I was very comfortable in the midst of the Balinese people and their way of being; the aspect of extended families, and community was comforting, warm and familiar for me. Surrounded by the classic elements of tropics and sandy beaches it was a child’s fantasy island.
Here I am, still. But everything is not as we see on the surface. The images we conjure up of a place are an illusion. Searching for the dream; that’s an illusion. It’s the substance behind the paradise that’s so mesmerizing, shocking and provoking.
At age 15, I was going to a school in the Himalayas. This school represented children from all over the world and was in one of the most remote places I had ever experienced at that time. It wasn’t till later in life that I realized how profound a place it was and that it was an extremely exciting political time. The school still exists today. That experience set my heart on India forever.
I knew I had to continue my studies, as that was the protocol amongst my peers. I decided that I wanted to do something related to art and attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. I knew that I could come out of there able to follow some type of career related to art.
In the late eighties I passed through Italy and got a job on the island of Sardinia, selling Balinese things at a friend’s boutique. I quickly learned Italian and made enough money to pursue my plan of studying in New York City. I finally got my head out of paradise and onto a bigger world.
In your earlier artworks under the series titled ‘3D Carved Frame paintings’, you set a precedent with the painting overflowing onto relief carved frames using bright colours. Now you have moved on to more subtle washes combined with woodblock printing. What brought about that shift?
I dream of Sulawesi
As an artist I’m always striving to make my work interesting; not just for my audience but also for the sense of discovery involved in the creative process. I like to think that my art has a purpose and is not just a souvenir. The purpose is to make you think beyond what you see; to discover the metaphor within the work. When I was painting the 3D carved paintings there was always a story involved. It was evident through the humour, the caricatures and the nature of the collages. All these would accumulate into a narrative of the time and place in which it was painted; always with a hidden implication of a ‘tongue in cheek’ or ‘twist of a knife’ meaning. I guess that explains why I am seen as a mimic whose work may at times offend, but just take one good look at me and you’ll realize it is just a part of the fun. Let’s not take this life too seriously!