A selection of BSVS Art
Valasi
Oil and acrylic on canvas This artwork places Burnetta’s grandma Valasi in Aotearoa | New Zealand and Samoa (having a kereuru | wood pigeon on one shoulder with a sea turtle on the other), with the shell 'ula | necklace not only an attractive adornment but also a visual thread between the generations (it belonged to Burnetta’s mother). The text 'ula | necklace read, respectively: La lafoia i le alogalu. May you be cast on the land side of the reef. |
Things that call to you
Acrylic on canvas This artwork shows Burnetta's mother and quotes Rumi: What you seek is seeking you. |
Light up the world
Oil and acrylic on board This artwork shows Burnetta's daughter with a Samoan sei or hair flower and a piwakawaka | fantail, as her daughter’s favourite New Zealand bird. The text atop the box is understood to be by poet Hafez: Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, You owe me. Look what happens with a love like that It lights the whole sky. For Burnetta, it is about the power of unconditional love. The gogo | bird of the tatau (Samoan tattoo) is a symbol of navigation and guidance and has been used purposefully together with the text. This artwork also reads: Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. |
Always with you
Oil and acrylic on canvas This created woman wears shell 'ula | necklaces that connects Burnetta to her matrilineal side. Always with you. |
Puletasi (Take flight)
Oil and acrylic on board The woman in this artwork wears a puletasi (Samoan dress) based on one that Burnetta's mother wore. The bird is about to take flight, symbolising transformation, with the tiger representing inner power - personal strength. |
For you
Oil and acrylic on canvas The motto Per ardua surgam, Latin for Through difficulty I will arise, is from Burnetta's matrilineal side (the Betham family). The gogo | bird of the tatau (Samoan tattoo) beneath the motto is a symbol of navigation and guidance. The fetu | star above is a symbol of wisdom. |