Taking an intuitive approach (Autumn 2012)

With a solo show in Auckland, a residency in the United States and a group show in New York, Dagmar Dyck is certainly making up for lost time.

Dagmar Dyck's upcoming solo exhibition at Flagstaff Gallery presents her first significant body of work since spending the last eight years concentrating on raising her family. While Dyck continues to explore and celebrate the patterns, symbols and iconography of her rich Tongan heritage, she has also embraced a more intuitive and expressionist aesthetic, and the new work is a bold fusion of geometric forms, spliced motifs and intense colour.

"My marks are loosening me up... I've been carrying a tight, design ethic for some time now and I'm enjoying this more abstract approach to my art making. Somehow my marks subconsciously fall back into my familiar context of 'tapa iconography'. I'm okay with that in the sense that this is inherently my world – this is the 'natural' me… inherited by birth, flowing through my veins… deep pride for my roots."

This is shaping up to be a significant year for Dyck. In early April she departs on a trip to the United States to take up a two-week residency in the printmaking studio of Brigham Young University Fine Arts Centre, in Provo, Utah. The last part of her journey will be spent in New York where she will exhibit in the Flagstaff Gallery exhibition of 25 New Zealand artists at Agora Gallery in Chelsea. Dyck is honoured to be the only artist of Pacific origin in this exhibition. Her work is an authentic visual statement that will provide a strong Pacific dimension and add cultural context to the collection of contemporary New Zealand art in an international setting.

Dagmar Dyck's solo exhibition is at Flagstaff Gallery, Devonport, 1–27 March. Made in New Zealand – Bringing Contemporary New Zealand Art to New York, is at Agora Gallery, Chelsea, from 24 April to 7 June, 2012.

Devonport flower girl on the scent of international art success (March 2 2012)

Dagmar Dyck, one-time proprietor of the old Devonport Flower Barrow, launched a new exhibition at The Flagstaff Gallery yesterday. Running until 27 March it comprises a fresh body of work that Dyck described as more abstract, intuitive and looser than what she has produced in the past. Recalling when she was first encouraged to take up art at Westlake Girls' School, Dyck said it was almost like travelling full circle to how she painted at high school and that "I really didn't think too much, just let the brush go."

It's a busy start to the year for the mother of three who is also preparing for a trip to the USA in April. Dyck is one of 25 artists selected to exhibit at the Flagstaff Gallery's show at the Agora Gallery in Chelsea, New York. She has already sent three pieces of work to New York specifically for that exhibition. Dyck is a first generation New Zealander, with Tongan-German parents. She says her art has always carried a Pacific theme and a celebration of Tongan culture.

While she understood that American art followers may interpret that aspect of her work differently to New Zealanders, she wanted to "stay honest to what I was doing." Dyck has also been invited to the Brigham Young University Fine Arts Centre in Provo, Utah, where she will be delivering a lecture and running printmaking workshops. A two-week residency at the university's facilities will follow this. Dyck's Tongan mother will accompany her for Utah part of the trip so that she can visit family members. Dyck herself hopes that the US trip will give her a greater insight into the Pacific culture and the voice of the Pacific artist in America.

Dyck also wants to build commercial relationships while she is in the USA and her goal is to connect to galleries in New York and ideally secure a gallery or dealer there. While her aspirations are global, Dyck, who is currently "Artist-in residence" at Sylvia Park Primary School, acknowledges that she could not accomplish all of this without family support and local encouragement.

Devonport has received a huge tourism boost with a spread in the big selling German magazine Der Spiegel (Jan 20 2012)

The January 14 edition of the magazine features eight photos of Devonport including views of Cheltenham and Rangitoto from the North Head

It recommends going to Devonport to get away from the stresses of Auckland City.

Der Spiegel compares Devonport to the Hamptons near New York but much cheaper than Long Island village.

The article also praises Devonport for its galleries, bookshops and cafes which did not seem touristy.

To view the story go to the Der Spiegel website: http://www.spiegel.de/reise/fernweh/0,1518,808982,00.html

Her paintings and works on paper are on show at the Flagstaff Gallery in Devonport and soon she'll be heading to New York City to show her talents

In the meantime this mother-of-three from Mt Wellington is at Sylvia Park School everyday, helping students develop their artistic skills.

Dagmar Dyck's been working as an artist for years, having finished her studies at Elim in 1996

She features in the East and Coast Bays Courier in 2010 and her father Dieter Dyak featured in the paper last month when he published a book about his life experiences, including growing up in Germany and running a Pacific resort with his Tongan wife. Ms Dyck's Flagstaff show represents the first major body of work she has produced in eight years, after taking time out to raise a family.

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When Dagmar Dyck was a teenager most people thought she was Maori

She says there was "only a handul of us brown faced kids" at her North Shore high school

The confusion led the artist on a journey of self-discovery and cultural identification.

"My art teacher said at the time "Why don't you look at your background?" And that was the launcing pad for me.

Ms started painting and printmaking using images that reflected her mother's Tongan heritage.

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Dagmar Dyck - a labour of love

March symbolises for our city a time where we celebrate all things Pacifica. Festivals such as Pacifica and Polyfest although ephemeral in nature are points in our calendar where we acknowledge the place and importance of Pacific cultures within the fabric of our society. Our visibility both politically and culturally can be attributed to the Pacific people who pioneered in new fields and mediums. One such pioneer is painter and printmaker Dagmar Dyck. Graduating from ELAM School of Fine Arts in 1995 Dagmar was one of the first contemporary Tongan woman artists in New Zealand

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