Ake Lianga

Ake Lianga (born 1975 on Guadalcanal) is a Solomon Islands screen printer [cite news |first=Robert |last=Amos |title=From sea stories to science fiction |work=Times Colonist |date=2002-07-25] and painter.

After schooling, Lianga became self-employed as a sign painter and mural artist. In 1995, he won the South Pacific Contemporary Art Competition.cite web |url=http://www.alcheringa-gallery.com/past/ake02_akeliangabiography.html |title=About Ake Lianga... |accessdate=2008-05-24 |publisher=Alcheringa Gallery]

In 1996, he won the Commonwealth Arts and Crafts award for painting, [cite web |url=http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/culturediversity/craftawards/pastacawinners/ |title=Past Award winners |accessdate=2008-05-24 |work=Commonwealth Arts and Crafts Awards |publisher=Commonwealth Foundation] and began studying at North Island College in Canada. He graduated in Fine Arts in 1999.cite web |url=http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/old-newsletters/Newsletter.apr-jun04.html#TCP |title="The Contemporary Pacific: Special Offer |accessdate=2008-05-24 |date= |year= |month= |work=Center for Pacific Islands Studies |publisher=University of Hawaii at Manoa] During his final semester, he was hired by the College to teach printmaking to first year students. He married in 2001 and, as of 2007, lives in Canada.cite journal |year=Winter 2007 |title=Bridging Cultures |journal=The Chronicle |volume=1 |issue=1 |publisher=Washington State University |url=http://newsletter.wsu.edu/chronicle/07february/ake-lianga.html |accessdate=2008-05-24]

His work was exhibited at the Comox Valley Art Gallery in 1998, at the Alcheringa Gallery in 2001, and at the Washington State University's Department of Fine Arts in 2007.cite news |author=Lindsey, Gary, and Maria Ortega |title=WSU Visiting Artist Series Presents Pacific Artist Ake Lianga |url=http://wsunews.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=10967 |work=WSU News Service |publisher=Washington State University |date=2007-01-29 |accessdate=2008-05-24] [cite news |title=Artist to take public through his exhibit at WSU gallery Tuesday |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |date=2007-02-02] Lianga's art has also been featured on the cover of the autumn 2004 edition of "The Contemporary Pacific".

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 at the university in 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.wsu.edu/~ivorycs/FA404/FA404.html |title=FA 404 (M): Advanced Art History, Non-Western Art – Art and Artists of the Pacific: Themes and Issues |accessdate=2008-05-24 |date=2007-03-07 |publisher=Washington State University]

References

External links

* [http://www.akelianga.com/ Lianga's official website] , with examples of his work
* [http://www.alcheringa-gallery.com/past/ake02_artindex.html Examples of Lianga's work] exhibited at the Alcheringa Gallery