her work. The residency culminated in a solo exhibition Te Ruperupe O Toku Ipukarea at the National Museum in Rarotonga.
She has previously noted that “to Cook Islanders, flowers represent all that is beautiful and bountiful in their natural environment. Flowers worn on the hair of women, or behind the ear. They are an evocative emblem of femininity and the flourishing Pacificâ€. Sylvia’s contribution to the Paringa Ou exhibition in 1998 marks the serious beginnings of her career, providing her with a supportive network of artists of Cook Island heritage working in Aotearoa. Painting has since become an important vehicle for the expression of her Cook Island heritage and a way of honouring and maintaining her father’s memory.
 Sylvia exhibits regularly in New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Recent group exhibitions include: Cross-Currents, Matakana Gallery, 2008; Te Manea O Rarotonga, Reef Gallery, Auckland, 2007; Pacific Rhythm, Waiheke Art Gallery, 2007, and Frangipani Lush, The Edge/Aotea Centre, Auckland, 2006. Sylvia is represented by The Art Studio gallery in Rarotonga.