Liz
“In my 20s, I bought my first piece of art from a struggling artist friend. Little did I know, it was the start of a collection that would grow over the years. For me, home is a tremendously important space, and having art on the walls feels like I am surrounded by friends. Initially, I only bought pieces from artist friends whom I loved dearly.
Despite taking the leap to board a boat with my young family and pack away our worldly possessions, the collection kept growing. It just transformed into ethnic art, and sometimes we would find true and rare artisans whom we would commission pieces from. Every piece we own has an incredible backstory that resonates with our family adventure.
After spending 4 1/2 years at sea, I yearned for wall space again. Having emigrated to our new home, it was so inspiring to group our old and new art around us. However, in 2016, we lost some of our precious pieces in the Kaikoura earthquake. It was then that I realised we were horrifically under-insured and that the stories behind so many items we loved had not been archived. Each piece has a unique history relevant to our family, making them irreplaceable.
Our home is now filled with love and memories. Finally, our collection has been catalogued, and it is a safe place for future generations to cherish and properly evaluate”.