In memory

Ralph Hotere, one of New Zealand's most notable artists, died recently. The street artist Elliot O'Donnell, aka Askew One, wanted to paint a mural in his memory. He is quoted as saying

"We put the word out on Twitter and everyone responded. We ended up with a lift for four days and all the paint we needed." Thousands of dollars were donated by individuals, corporate entities and Alex Swney of Auckland's Heart of the City Group. Pamela Willis who knows the Hotere family and owns this building in Kingsland, offered the wall for the portrait.

The giant mural is based on a photograph by Marti Friedlander, the renowned New Zealand photographer and long-time friend of Ralph Hotere. She took the photograph in 1978, and gave Mr O'Donnell her blessing to use the image. "It's a beautiful tribute. I had a long association with Ralph, and I loved him.".

Mr O'Donnell says "that the decision to paint Hotere after his death just made sense, as the politics behind Hotere's work and the powerful statements he evokes to audiences is something that Mr O'Donnell aspires to achieve with his own art. He is someone who had a profound impact on painting in this country."

When I first heard about this mural being painted the artist told a reporter that he was often approached by members of the public who were both interested and supportive, although one apparently wanted to know why he was painting a picture of Einstein.

Worth a look in large