Cook Islands artist Sylvia Marsters returns to Rarotonga for her 100th career exhibition project with a new collection of paintings and prints, on Tuesday next week at the Bergman Gallery in Rarotonga.

The historic exhibition will be opened by special guest speaker Debbie Sorensen, the chief executive officer of Pasifika Medical Association.

Marsters, a senior Pacific artist, born in Tāmaki Makaurau to a Aitutakian (Cook Islands) father and New Zealand mother, said: “Hibiscus, Gardenia and Frangipani hold a special place in my work, in my heart. They have drawn me (quite literally) to the distant shores of my ancestral home (Ipukarea), the Cook Islands.”

“Early in my fine arts career, mentors Fatu Feu’u and Lois McIvor emphasised the importance of making a pilgrimage to the Pacific Islands. They realised even then, its significance. Despite growing up in suburban Auckland, or perhaps because I did, my father’s homeland remains an endless source of fascination. Part fact, part fiction - some memory, some fantasy.”

E Kura Reitumanava no Rarotonga is the title for her upcoming new exhibition. “Its foundation is; Rei - a talisman necklace or 'ei used only on special occasions; Kura - sacred and special gift or message; Manava - from the heart; the spiritual/emotional centre of one's being; the breath of life. The small and intimate paintings in this exhibition are my love letters for Rarotonga,” Marsters explained.

E Kura Reitumanava no Rarotonga opens 6pm October 8 at Bergman Gallery, Beachcomber Courtyard, Taputapuatea.