There's no place like home

There's no place like home

Ani O’Neill commonly works with the basic form of the crocheted circle, each work made of a series of parts, sometimes organic in shape, others forming abstract grids of orderly colour like that of There’s no place like home. The work is laid out on the wall in rows of colour according to the form of a rainbow, an optimistic symbol signifying harmony and renewal. The title of the work is a line from the movie The Wizard of Oz, while the rainbow form refers to the film’s song ‘Over the Rainbow’. References to The Wizard of Oz conjure up ideas of searching for and finding your heart’s desire.

O’Neill draws on the traditional art and craft practices of her Cook Islands heritage such as tivaevae, weaving, crochet and sewing and other fibre-based arts that had been passed down to her from her grandmothers. Her artistic practice frequently involves her community and family’s participation in their making. Her collaborative strategies are also reminiscent of her heritage where the community regularly gets together for celebrations or to help others with work.