Nga Matatini Maori
21 February - 23 March 1997
Combining traditional referencing with current issues, Nga Matatini Maori is a
selection of contemporary Maori art from the Gallery's collection. It brings together
works of diverse age, appearance and content, and features both paintings and sculpture.
One of New Zealand's most respected artists, Ralph Hotere is represented by work which
embraces universal, rather than specifically Maori, concerns. Although he does not view
himself as a political painter, he frequently voices concerns about the human condition
and the environment. Hotere has said,'I am a Maori by birth and upbringing. As far as my
work is concerned this is coincidental' By contrast, the issues surrounding art and
culture are central to the work of Peter Robinson. His 'percentage painting' contain
references to Maori genealogy, and explore the way some artists can be seen as 'cashing
in' on the current demand for fashionable and bankable Maori Art. Robinson works within
established European artistic traditions whilst also exploring both contemporary Maori
issues and those personal to him.
Robyn Kahukiwa is well known for her series of paintings celebrating the essential
female element in Maori mythology which formed a touring exhibition. Kahukiwa combines
traditional Maori patterns, motifs and subjects with the Western materials of oil on
canvas, saying, 'There's still a place for the traditional art in the meeting house, for
example, but to say things about being Maori now I've got to use today's medium'
Kahukiwa's 'Tena I Ruia', which represents a women's haka, articulates and celebrates the
strength of women within the Maori culture.
Robert Jahnke's German/Samoan/Maori/Irish ancestry makes him a personification of the
Pacific /European mix that is 1990's New Zealand. Although an advocate of bi-culturalism,
he explores concerns about the injustices done to Maori in his work. His sculpture 'For
King and Country' makes use of the political, spiritual and practical significance the axe
has had in both the Maori and the European tradition, as a weapon of war, of settlement
and of protest. He reimagines colonial relationships in a way which is dramatic, yet
enigmatic; unstable, yet full of possibities: 'I provide the metaphors and, I hope, enough
ambiguity and interplay to allow for rich interpretations. If other meanings are brought
to the work then that's an added bonus'
With these, and with other Maori art works from the collection, Nga Matatini Maori aims
to examine the range within the Maori art in the McDougall collection,
looking back with respect at the work of the past, and ahead with
anticipation towards the art of the future.
This exhibition was held at the Robert McDougall Contemporary Art Annex in the Arts Centre.
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