Ake Lianga (born 1975 on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

) is a

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

screen printer and

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, who has "gained recognition for paintings and murals throughout

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

". "Alcheringa show bridges Pacific"
''Times Colonist'', November 6, 2010 After schooling, Lianga became self-employed as a sign painter and

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

artist. In 1995, he won the South Pacific Contemporary Art Competition. In 1996, he won the Commonwealth Arts and Crafts award for painting, and began studying at

North Island College North Island College (NIC) is a public college with multiple campuses spread across Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the traditional and unceded territories of 35 First Nations of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka’wak ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He graduated in

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

in 1999. During his final semester, he was hired by the College to teach

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proces ...

to first year students. He married in 2001 and, as of 2007, lives in Canada. His work was exhibited at the

Comox Valley The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, the village of Cumberland, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fann ...

Art Gallery in 1998, at the

Alcheringa Gallery Mark Loria Gallery (formerly Alcheringa Gallery) is a Canadian contemporary art gallery specializing in Northwest Coast, Coast Salish, and Canadian indigenous fine art. The gallery exhibits artwork from the contemporary period (1960s forward) as ...

in 2001, and at the

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

's Department of Fine Arts in 2007. Lianga's art has also been featured on the cover of the autumn 2004 edition of ''

The Contemporary Pacific ''The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs'' is an academic journal covering a wide range of disciplines with the aim of providing comprehensive coverage of contemporary developments in the entire Pacific Islands region, including Mel ...

''. In 2010, Alcheringa Gallery set up "Pacific Connections, a cross-cultural collaboration featuring Ake Lianga ..and John Marston, a

Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak on ...

carver from the

Chemainus Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus River, Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainu ...

First Nation". Carol Ivory, chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Washington State University, has described Lianga's work as follows:

Lianga looks both backwards and forwards, bringing mythology, history and the contemporary world together in riveting works of art. ..Lianga's artwork often engages with significant issues arising from post-colonial situations, creating works that can be described as both visually appealing and emotionally powerful.

Lianga was a

guest speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

at Washington State University in 2007.

References

External links

Lianga's official website
with examples of his work

exhibited at the

1975 births Living people Solomon Islands painters People from Guadalcanal Province {{painter-stub