Ni hao e hoa by Lester Hall

Signed Print

Image size in millimetres: 290 x 410

Studio printed by the artist, signed below the image in pencil.

Both the Mandarin and Te Reo Maori in the title of this new print translates as “Hello Friend”. As always there is quite a backstory to every print by Lester Hall. Lester tells us “as a child I was taken to the bronze statue of Pania on the Napier foreshore by my parents and we all looked in awe at the wonderful balance, poise and pin up style of Pania of the Reef... She was immediately captivating. There was a pride in the fact this traditional bronze style was portraying a uniquely New Zealand myth. She immediately took a place in my heart. Many reinterpretations have been created, from perfect candles to imperfect resin sculptures and so many printed stylizations. This is mine, celebrating her, the mythology of our country and speaking to the changing face of our citizenry. As always I look for similarities that tie us together rather the differences that push us apart. With this image I look back to the fifties and forward into a time where our differences sit more easily on our shoulders. She is like that, Pania, a healer, like the ubiquitous Tiki, esoteric, romantic imagery that transcends differences creating a deep inner connection we all share.”