Dion Hitchens

This week I turn up to the lecture 15mintues late, which was embarrassing because, as I walked in I got greeted by Dion (lecture). For my punishment for being late was to either dance or tell a joke to the class, but I was to shy to do either. Dion Hitchens talked to us about his art practices and sculptures in which he made back in his younger days. While listening to him explain to the class about his sculpture pieces, he mentioned one thing to the class about his cultural background and heritage and how it influenced him in most of his sculpture works.

He said being part Asian / Maori really helped him find the base platform to structure his sculpture pieces of his artworks. Seeing Dion apply his cultural heritage into his practice makes him and his work very significant, to me personally I think I can sort of relate to him and his work in a way because, I also come from a cultural background that is quit similar to Dion’s culture being Samoan, we both come from a Polynesian descent.

What I can learn from him and his work is that I can also apply my Samoan cultural background into my art practice, which will also make me, and my work very significant as well. The two distinctive artworks that stood out for me the most was the one he did in manukau called Maumga and the Big Egg looking sculpture he made, which terrified a small boy.

As Dion talked on and on about his interesting sculptures, he mentioned to our whole class that all of his sculpture that he ever made was homemade in his backyard, and he even said that he had to get a crane to get his sculptures from out the back. The Maumga piece was very cool and interesting because Dion was inspired from the mountains of Tahiti. I also liked how he used technology in the egg as well as collaborating it with his cultural heritage.