The future for art in Fiji is like a double-edged sword, says renowned Fijian artist Anare Somumu.
He made the comment in an interview with The Fiji Times on Thursday, at the end of a Fiji Arts Council visual art for beginners’ workshop.
Mr Somumu said that art was both a means to earn a living, and a release from the stresses and “upset of life”, and that is what the workshop tried to incorporate into the lessons.
He said that it had a bright future because of the funding possibilities.
“The hint that art has a bright future is that there is a lot of funding for two things right now, art and agriculture,” he said.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, art and agriculture were some of the only things being funded, all over the world.
“So that means there is hope for artists.”
He also said that the workshop tried to come away from the normal learning to draw or just basic drawing and get more into the spiritual side of the drawing.
“It’s not just learning how to draw, but how to use art as a tool for communication.
“It requires a lot of commitment and personal truth, to tap into our emotional selves to bring out what may be affecting us, put it down on paper or canvas and get it out of our system.”
