Personal touch for debut exhibit

CENTRAL Victorian artist Akuek Deng wants people to get to know her on a personal level through her debut exhibition.

Working under the artist name Naya Ruon, the emerging creative launched her first showcase at the Old Church on the Hill last Friday.

The exhibition is located in the Old Church’s feast space and will run for five weeks.

Featuring bright, fluid abstract works on canvas, Ruon said the works reflected her hidden side.

“I find it’s a way for me to express myself because on the inside I’m very bubbly and outgoing and a lot of people don’t see that,” she said.

“It’s usually the ones who really know me who get to experience that side of me. Through my work I can show that, and I want people to see that and get to know me.

“I am inspired by emotions and nature, and I want people who see my work to feel happy. I want it to change someone’s state, that’s my goal.”

Ruon said she recently completed a women in business program with Multicultural Arts Victoria after rediscovering her love of art during COVID-19 lockdowns.

She said the program gave her the confidence to return to creating and kickstart a career.

“When MAV came along, that gave me the push and they encouraged me and made me feel like I could actually do this,” she said.

Already, Ruon said she is looking to her next exhibition and plans to showcase her portraiture.