Nikki Mariner - Artist

26/05/2025

15/11/2024

This painting hangs in the buffet restaurant area of the VIP Terminal at Faleolo International Airport.

In the overall design proposal we had three restaurant walls to choose art for.
One wall showcases Samoan food and crops, the second was the coconut trees discussed in my last post, and this wall was about ambience.

It's essentially a Samoan woven mat decorated with flowers and leaves and laden with many dishes of food.

It's abstract, colourful, and detailed.
It's interesting to look at for a while if you're waiting for a flight or a meal.

The concept was to create a sense of welcoming abundance, nourishment, and fun.

The significance is Samoan hospitality and the ways that Samoan culture uses food to show respect and love.

THE PICNIC (2024)
Artist: Nikki Mariner
Acrylic on stretched canvas
300x184cm

09/11/2024

Lalovai and I had an open brief when asked to propose artwork for the new VIP Terminal at Faleolo International Airport.

The art needed to represent and introduce Samoan culture and landscapes and, at the same time, be welcoming and relaxing for VIP travelers from around the world.

I was nervous about this idea but felt strongly that paintings of coconut trees would be instantly recognisable to every visitor, create a happy and friendly atmosphere, and of course are so important to Samoan day to day life.

Although paintings of coconut trees are rare to see in deluxe travel lounges, I thought that they'd be entirely appropriate in a Samoan context.

They now hang in the restaurant area of the terminal, beside windows that you can see blue skies and coconut trees through.
It's like a luxury picnic feeling.
Perfect.

WARM & FRIENDLY Diptych
Artist - Nikki Mariner
180x115cm each
Acrylic on stretched canvas

22/10/2024

BROWN GIRLS WALKING (2024)
Nikki Mariner
Acrylic on stretched canvas
290x184cm

This painting hangs beside the check-in counter at the VIP Terminal at Faleolo International Airport.

It seems suitable for an area where people stand in lines preparing to travel.

The browns and gold tones were chosen to blend the artwork with the neutral decor of the luxury airport lounge rather than be a focal point in bright colours.
However, they do seem to stand out ❤️

The last photo in this carousel is from a photo I found online where the check-in area was transformed into a special meeting area for CHOGM with fine mats and siapo, and our prime minister is greeting people, but they didn't cover the painting 🤎

A few of the best photos in this lot are credited to my beloved Lalovai x

21/10/2024

EARTH, WATER & SIAPO (2024)
Artist: Nikki Mariner
Acrylic on stretched canvas
290x184cm

This painting hangs in the entrance of the VIP Terminal at Faleolo International Airport.

It's a dynamic feeling of travel and movement in a Samoan context.

It was designed to complement the gold and wood panels directly opposite it and bring in the blue of the ocean and sky that you see through the windows.

It's not a personal painting, but was created to produce energy and reflect the excitement of travel, using the colours of earth and water, with a little patch of siapo in the top left corner to welcome guests to Samoa.

I enjoy trying to find ways to create contemporary and abstract Samoan paintings to fit specifically in a new modern luxury lounge in Samoa.

18/10/2024

*Commission

TATAU ON MARBLE DIPTYCH (2024)
Nikki Mariner
Acrylic on stretched canvas
660x184cm

The brief was to fill a 7x3 metre space and represent traditional Samoan tatau in a contemporary way, that sits well in the context of a modern building with lots of wood panelling and with orange and red accents.

The background of the painting is brown, off-white, and gold colours, and was designed to pick up on the gold and wood panels, as well as speak to the green marble with gold threads.
The black patterns are from patterns and shapes in traditional tattoos; one panel for female, and one for male.
The patterns are not perfectly straight, because they're hand painted, and I wanted to show it was painted by hand, not a computer or a sticker.

This set of paintings was about art, culture, and interior design. Each panel is 3.3 metres long and 1.84 meters high.

The paintings were designed specifically for the VIP Terminal at Faleolo International Airport, which is welcoming international visitors and representing Samoan culture.

I'm grateful to Lalovai for taking photos of me with my paintings, and for being a great partner in leading the overall project at the airport.

28/03/2024

I think Viona and I came into each other's lives for a reason 💐
Here she is in Sydney with FREEDOM

28/03/2024

These paintings are having lives of their own after leaving Manamea Art Gallery

19/02/2024

*Sold (Australia)

MR PACIFIC ISLANDS
(2024)
Acrylic on unstretched canvas
129x182cm

In recent weeks, Samoa has been united in support of our contestants in international pageants.
Their hard work, combined with grace, talent, and beauty was admirable.
And this will give them lots of travel, career opportunities, growth experiences, meeting influential people, and much more.

And it got me thinking about why these opportunities are not available to men.
It seems a bit unfair.

Surely our best and brightest contestants would include educated, talented, and committed men as well.

Boys might want to demonstrate a talent, wear a sarong, answer questions, and get to wear amazi costumes.

It only needs to change the name of the title on offer by the pageant.

It's a playful question, a playful painting.
It's asking questions.

SAT$3000 (NZD$1775, AUD$1700, US$1090)

28/01/2024

Where they go.

I have saved many of these without permission. I just saw them online and saved them.
Sorry not sorry for stealing 🙏🏼