Ake Lianga

Country/Region: Solomon Islands (view other artists)

Ake Lianga is a painter, sculptor, and muralist from the island of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. His works, which often depict traditional stories and cultural practices, are in public collections in North America and the South Pacific.

Lianga was born in 1975 into a large family of carvers and weavers in the Kakau tribe. He learned how to carve as a small child, then taught himself to paint. After high school, he apprenticed for two years in Honiara, then became self-employed as a sign painter and mural artist. Commissions gained recognition for his work throughout Oceania, and he was elected Treasurer of the Artist Association of the Solomon Islands.

In 1995, Lianga won the South Pacific Contemporary Art Competition. A group exhibition followed in Sydney, which allowed him to work with artists from many parts of the Pacific. This was a turning point in his career, sparking a keen interest in cultural exchange. In 1996, he won a Commonwealth Arts and Crafts Award, and chose to study Western art at North Island College in Courtenay, British Columbia. In 2001, he married and settled in Victoria, BC. During regular trips to the Solomon Islands, he provides training and advice for emerging artists.

Selected Exhibitions

1995 University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia: group exhibition

1996 Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia: group exhibition

1997-1998 North Island College, Courtenay, BC: group exhibition

1998 Comox Valley Art Gallery, Courtenay, BC: solo exhibition

2001 Ake Lianga, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC: solo exhibition

2002 Ake Lianga: Story of the Sea
Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC: solo exhibition

2004 Ake Lianga: Journey Through the Islands
Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC: solo exhibition

2007 Department of Fine Arts, Washington State University: solo exhibition

2010 Giving Traditions, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2010 Pacific Currents Group Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

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