Wanaka artist Sonia Richter is encouraging locals to take part in a new project to promote togetherness during the lockdown. 

Sonia is inviting the public to draw silhouettes of their hands and send photos of them to her; she will incorporate the images into a new work, which will be shared on Facebook as it progresses and displayed after the lockdown period is over.

“The hand is a powerful symbol of unity: of hospitality and generosity; love and affection,” Sonia said. 

In her current body of work, Sonia is using a lot of symbology and sacred geometry patterns to embed stories, she said.

Find out more about Sonia Richter Artist

“We are currently in unprecedented times, all separated through this lockdown, and others in more extreme isolation. By filling the background of the canvas with sacred shapes before I paint the silhouettes of each hand, it connects us...uniting us all together,” Sonia said. 

When the news was shared that New Zealand would be moving to lockdown, Sonia already happened to be well into the process of moving her studio into her home. 

“The first week I spent unpacking, painting studio walls and sorting,” Sonia said. “There’s still so much to do, but the big blank wall was calling to me and it's deeply special to work on a community project for the first artwork to be created in my new studio space.”  

As an artist, Sonia said she craves solitude and time, but “this will be different, for sure!”.

As well as keeping busy with art, Sonia is sharing her home with family members who live in Canada who were unable to return because of the border closure. While the uncertainty of when they can return home is difficult for them, Sonia said she was really happy to have family with her during this time.

“We've started a garden, we’re sprouting lentils, and making installations,” Sonia said. “A house full of extroverted, introverted creatives, I think we will be okay.”

To be a part of Sonia’s project, you can draw your hand’s silhouette on a window or on a piece of paper, and people are welcome to draw more hands for the number of people in their “bubble”. Photos of the silhouettes can be emailed to [email protected]. 

There’s even a bottle of wine up for grabs - once the isolation period is over - for the person who can come up with a great name for the project. 

PHOTO: Sonia Richter