Te Puāwai o Ngāi Tahu

10 May - 24 August 2003
Touring Galleries and the Borg Henry Gallery

Jacqueline Fraser, Applied Guidelines Vigorously, 2002 Oil stick on cream and red aquataine print. Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney

‘Te Puāwai o Ngāi Tahu’ brings together twelve Ngāi Tahu artists in an exhibition that reveals the excellence and diversity of contemporary Ngāi Tahu visual culture.

The word puāwai means to blossom or to flower. The works in ‘Te Puāwai o Ngāi Tahu’ represent the progressive blossoming of Māori art – from timeless cultural expression to modern interpretation. Puawai also relates to the definition of Puāwaitanga in Māori art – often referred to as being a classical period of Māori culture.

Ngāi Tahu Māori have strong connections with the site of the Gallery, so it was fitting to present ‘Te Puāwai o Ngāi Tahu’ as one of the opening exhibitions. The exhibition symbolises the cultural significance of the new Gallery’s site through the use of wai (water) imagery to represent the pu, or metaphorical source of creative Ngāi Tahu expression. The inclusion of three Ngāi Tahu taonga refer to the Māori history of the site, introducing Ngāi Tahu cultural concepts and providing an entry point into the exhibition.

The twelve artists, both established and emerging, present a diversity of ideas, approaches and materials. Some have produced new works specifically for the exhibition; others are represented by significant existing works. The artists include Cath Brown, Neil Pardington, Chris Heaphy, Ross Hemera, Areta Wilkinson and Nathan Pohio.

‘Te Puāwai o Ngāi Tahu’ can be viewed in Touring Galleries until 24 August. Prepared in partnership with Ngāi Tahu, a part-bilingual catalogue is available from the Gallery Shop.