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Pacific Artists Selected for International Art Competition
Latter-day Saint artists from Tonga and Australia talk about how their faith influences their art.
Three artists from the Pacific Area were recently selected for the 12th International Art Competition: Alyce Bailey and Reena Naidu from Australia, and Moeaki Kivalu from Tonga.
Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this year’s competition invited viewers to explore the powerful gospel message that “all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33). Church members and friends in 25 countries submitted their work, and 148 pieces were selected for the final exhibition.
They are currently on display at the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States.
ALYCE BAILEY
Alyce lives in Launceston, Australia, and has always loved to draw, but it was only in her last two years of high school that she began to take art seriously as a potential career. At the age of 19, she was offered representation with a local gallery, and after eight very successful years of showing her work commercially with them, she decided to step back to complete her bachelor of fine arts at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
“Art has always been an important part of my life and it has helped me to better understand important gospel truths and to experience God’s love in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.”
“When I create artwork, I always try to do so in a way that not only invites the Spirit into my studio but also into the lives of those who view the finished works.”
Working primarily in pen and acrylic (with the occasional shotgun blast), Alyce’s works are steeped in metaphor, nostalgia and her personal and family history. She uses animal forms to explore and expose the subtle emotions of the human experience.
Her entry, “The Others,” was selected for a merit award. In this work, three breeds of sheep confront the viewer, inviting close and careful study.
“During His mortal and post-mortal ministry, the Saviour often referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. As the Good Shepherd, He knew each of His sheep intimately and loved them unconditionally . . . He invited all to hear His voice and to come unto Him that He might lead them home safely.”
“Regardless of breed, gender, or pedigree, in the eyes of the Good Shepherd, we as His sheep are all alike and are known, loved, and wanted.”
REENA NAIDU
Originally from Fiji, Reena Naidu’s family moved to Sydney, Australia, when she was young.
She discovered her gift for art in high school when an assignment required her to submit a self-portrait. “At about the same time, I read a Church talk about developing our talents and I felt inspired to develop my artistic skills,” Reena says.
She followed that inspiration to the National Art School in Dalinghurst, Sydney, where she earned a master’s in fine arts. Today she is a manager for an art supplies company where she helps others select the right materials for their art projects.
For her own work, Reena prefers ink, watercolour and acrylic paints.
“My subject matter includes, but is not limited to, landscapes, seascapes, portraits and more. I also have a strong desire to create works that are inspired by my faith and look forward to creating more religious and spiritual art.”
Her selected work is called “The Sacred Grove.” It is based on a photo given to her by a missionary couple who had visited the Sacred Grove in New York. Reena began work on this piece in 2020 while watching a general conference talk about young Joseph Smith’s experiences there.
“As I listened, I got lost in the moment and I was drawn into the photo . . . I felt the Holy Spirit guiding my hand.”
For Reena, the grove is a reminder that God loves and hears His children. “The Restoration of the gospel, beginning with the appearance of Deity in that wood, provides a way for all of humanity to receive God’s blessings.”
MOEAKI KIVALU
Moeaki began art while attending Liahona High School in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. He once placed third in a Danish international art competition, and later gained a bachelor of fine arts from BYU-Idaho in the United States. He has been teaching art for the last nine years at his alma mater, Liahona High School.
Moe works in oil, acrylic and watercolour and describes his art as abstract expressionism. He is most interested in drawing things that are “beyond the veil.”
“I had some near-death experiences when I was a child, which have influenced me. When my father was a mission president, he asked me to do a drawing of the plan of salvation as a missionary tool. . . . It really fired my imagination to think about what it is like beyond the veil.”
His selected work is a tapa collage and acrylic on cardboard entitled, “All Are Alike unto Christ.” A unique feature of this piece is that it includes a strip of tapa cloth.
“Tapa is a very important part of Tongan culture. Newborn babies are wrapped in it, brides and grooms wear it on their wedding day and caskets are draped with it at funerals. It literally is the fabric of our lives,” Moeaki says. “To me, it is an actual veil between this life and the spirit world so it’s important that it is included in my art.”
In his painting, tapa separates our mortal life and a heavenly existence. Beyond that veil, ministering angels are depicted eager to reach out and bless those in times of great need.
“All are alike unto God. . . . We all long for peace, love, and comfort,” Moeaki says, “we all feel that we are being ministered to by the Saviour and His angels in times of need.”