Paradise Found by Fleur Yorston
Visitors to the Ballina Byron Gateway Airport will receive a contemporary take on a traditional islander welcome this September and October with an oversized interpretation of a Hawaiian Lei, by artist Fleur Yorston, on display in Northern Rivers Community Gallery’s (NRCG) latest Art at the Airport showcase.
Paradise Found is inspired by the artists upbringing in multi-cultural, Polynesian New Zealand (Aotearoa) and her own personal migration to Australia in 2009. Yorston invites her audience to ask themselves “What is your Paradise Found...?â€
In the show an iconic Australian symbol - the Surfboard becomes a metaphor for a canoe (Waka in NZ) that 'First Explorers' used to cross oceans in search of new lands and new paradises. Intentionally it is juxtaposed next to an oversized interpretation of a Hawaiian Lei, traditionally given as a welcoming adornment upon arrival to visitors.
A painting also features in the show called 'Floating The Islands towards their paradise'. Fluid and transparent islands become vessels, highlighting the fragility of ones journey and the unknown destination of a paradise.
Paradise Found will stand as a thought provoking welcome to visitors of the Northern Rivers this September and October.
Fleur Yorston lives and works in Yamba, Northern NSW. Her studio is onsite at her eclectic lifestyle store 'Island Collective' which incorporates designer homewares with cultural art events and workshops. She also works with clients on their Interior Design projects in the region.
Paradise Found will be on display at the airport from 4 September through to 4 November 2015 inclusive and are a must see experience.
All artworks exhibited in Art at the Airport are available for purchase via the Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina.
This interweaving provides daily inspiration for the artist, regularly using her own work for styling products by brands she represents. Her love of Art and Interior Design clearly work together under the umbrella that is Island Collective.
islandcollective.com.au | instagram.com/islandcollective | facebook.com.au/islandcollective | fleuryorston.com
Floating The Islands Towards Their Paradise (detail) 2015, |
Fleur Yorston pictured with her work Floating The Islands Towards Their Paradise, 2015 |
 Fleur Yorston pictured with her work (left) Paradise Found Lei and (right) Leilani Waka, 2015 |