Style: December 01, 2017

STYLE | arts 43
His work is created for our pleasure, but also to make us
wonder. What does it represent? Who made it? What stories
does it have to tell us?
elements are at work. Carrying on the
traditions of his ancestors in a contemporary
format.
Hitchens experienced severe trauma in his
life with the death of his father. Through the
act of forgiveness he found a path forward,
where the pain was bearable, and his life,
and those around him, more positive. It is
important to Hitchens that his work has value
and provides us with a sense of connectivity.
This deep awareness of our humanity and
our need to communicate and be connected
to the world, both natural and man-made,
imbues his work with a wonderful sensibility.
In many ways Hitchens is fortunate to have
a balanced and mixed heritage from which to
draw on ancient wisdom. He uses this to bring
a sense of universality to his work, making his
aesthetic applicable to a wide audience.
In his 25 years of making, he has created
commercial pieces helping corporations align
their values with the communities they serve,
he has made public artworks for the wider
community, and he makes work for individual
collectors who want a beautiful piece for their
home.
He feels strongly that “we should never
give up, that everyone deserves to reach their
potential and that diversity of population is a
gift not a problem”.
Dion Hitchens is generous with his time. He
makes himself available to his community and
is open and generous in talking about his work.
Those of you lucky enough to have attended
Art in a Garden 2017 will have been able to
view his work and hear him speak about his
art practice. As guest artist this year he was
very well received.