UCOL Glow Gallery by various artists, 2026

The UCOL Glow Gallery is a 2026 partnership between Whanganui District Council and UCOL’S Art & Design school. The project showcases the talent of local UCOL students and supports emerging creatives to create public artwork.

Kōura Whanganui, 2026

The artist, Takutea Tengaipu Anga O Te Rangi, explains their work, “Kōura Whanganui, literally translating to ‘gold Whanganui’ is a variation of mediums all compiled in Photoshop. A major inspiration was the decorative nature and monochromatic palette of Gustav Klimt’s gold works.

A central part of Whanganui’s personality is the awa, so I began with a map showing the river as the central focus. From this came the fish rendered in oil pastel - Brown Trout, Common Bully, and Longfin Eels, are three of the most common species found in Te Awa Tupua (The Whanganui River).

If you look closer, the tiles in the background are made up of six images: Bastia Hill Water Tower, Kowhai flowers, Birds of Paradise, the Bearing statue by David McCracken, the dinosaur slide at Kowhai Park, and finally the historic Chronicle building.

The final pattern breaking up the background was done with watercolour. I started with no plan in mind and just let the marks happen. Organizing all these components included a lot of trial and error, moving and transforming things until it looked cohesive. This mix of digital and analogue media is how I often make my art, bouncing from medium to medium, and subject to subject, before bringing everything together at the end.”

Caught In Memory

Artist, Sian Frontin-Rollet, explains their work, “This artwork came together through an exploration of childhood memories and experiences in Whanganui. Using a collection of photographs taken from significant places, I collaged fragments of time together to create a final piece that evokes a feeling of belonging, familiarity, and serenity.

I traced over specific areas of the artwork using acrylic paint and golden oil pastel, highlighting details, and creating a sense of magic and dreaminess throughout the piece. Through this process, I wanted to capture the feeling that no matter where life takes me, there is a unique sense of comfort and belonging that can only come from a place described as ‘home’.”

Slice

The artist, Nikki Moore, explains their work, “My process begins with moving image, capturing a moment in time and place. In this instance, the Whanganui River from Taupo Quay looking toward Durie Hill. For now, the subject is not treated either as an iconic or symbolic representation of the reflected hillside. The image has now become a set of visual, graphic, temporal elements which can be disrupted, duplicated, degraded through classic glitch and other effects.

Non-naturalistic colour takes over during chromatic experimentation. The result deviates from reality, toward impressionistic abstraction somehow. The image, now flattened, cropped, collapses the former edge, where the water meets the opposite shore, into something more resembling substrate. The image has become a fiction.”

Blurred Lights

The artist, Micah Leiasamaivao-Turvey, explains their work, “In my submission for this project, I wanted to explore a way to incorporate lighting effects through photography. I created the resulting blurry effect by experimenting with the depth of field and utilising Photoshop to bring out some vibrancy. This process of transforming a regular street scene into abstract art made me realize that you don’t need a clear subject to create an art piece.”