Timothy Leatigaga - Art Inventor

Leatigaga sees his work as an art research project, in which he is creating a new artistic visual language.  The picture is ‘constantly moving, as if it is hitting something.’  Leatigaga has Samoan American and Maori ancestry.  He sees his work as fitting into the art historical context with influences from Pablo Picasso, and describes his line work as describing the outlines of the person, the koru and the body form of the Marae.  ‘There are no hard edges but rather curved and parabolic lines.’

Using ball point pen as the main media, he fills white sheets of paper with intricately detailed line.  He has developed his own visual languages which he terms ‘Rainbow Immersion’.

“I start by adding every single item which exists in the universe from marbles to people and then try to picturise it in the smallest area possible.”

The effect of the work, which uses multiple lines to describe multiple subjects, is of an optical illusion, where multi-coloured figures and images emerge from an intricate tangle of lines.

From the start of the drawing, the person or object is drawn with one line.  Every single movement and shape and curvature shape is unbroken, one movement, a single sketching which moves from side to side and top to bottom across the page.  This technique took years to develop and is named the ‘Paradine’ technique.

Currently under development is 3D Cubism, for which the viewer will need 3D glasses.

Leatigaga sees these works as visual designs.  Having always wanted to be a designer, he plans to attend night classes and study architecture and design.

EXHIBITIONS

Drawing Parallels: group show, ROAR! gallery (6 - 23 August 2007)

Outsider Art Festival: group show curated by Sian Torrington and Fiona Elwood.  ROAR! gallery (14 Feb - 8 March 2008)

Adventurous Lines: solo show with 2 other artists.  ROAR! gallery (29 March - 14 April 2007)