Maureen Lander Wai o te Marama 2004. Harakeke, muka, nylon line, fluorescent paint, UV lighting. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2021. Photo: Ellie Smith
Installation view of Maureen Lander Aho Marama: Strings of Light 2023. Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Maureen Lander String Games 1998. Rope, nylon fishing line, fluorescent paint, string, cardboard, paper, linen, glue, video, photographs, UV light. Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, commissioned 1998
Maureen Lander String Games 1998. Rope, nylon fishing line, fluorescent paint, string, cardboard, paper, linen, glue, video, photographs, UV light. Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, commissioned 1998
Maureen Lander String Games (detail) 1998. Rope, nylon fishing line, fluorescent paint, string, cardboard, paper, linen, glue, video, photographs, UV light. Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, commissioned 1998
Maureen Lander Te Ara Pikipiki a Tawhaki (a component of Digital String Games II, 2000). String, rope, fluorescent paint. Courtesy of the artist
Maureen Lander Te Ara Pikipiki a Tawhaki (a component of Digital String Games II, 2000). String, rope, fluorescent paint. Courtesy of the artist
12 August 2023 – 14 July 2024
A magical UV light installation bringing together different art forms and histories.
For the opening of Te Papa Tongarewa in 1998, Maureen Lander (Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutu, Pākehā) used UV light, strings, video and photographs to create the phenomenal installation String Games. The work brings together customary Māori string games and stories and the conceptual art history of Marcel Duchamp, upending our understanding of both these art forms. Aho Marama: Strings of Light re-presents String Games for the first time, alongside installation components and documentation of Digital String Games II and our own collection work Wai o te Marama to celebrate the ongoing importance of Lander and her work.
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Location:
South Gallery -
Curator:
Melanie Oliver -
Exhibition number:
1159
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Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
Welcome to the spring edition of Bulletin. As I write, Te Rā: The Māori Sail has been with us at Te Puna o Waiwhetū for three weeks, and its presence continues to fill our building and hearts with a sense of warmth and wonder. It has been truly an honour to spend time with Te Rā, whose arrival and welcome was an incredibly important moment for Aotearoa. I felt very privileged to have experienced some of the excitement, joy and knowledge shared by so many during the wānanga and the opening weekend.
Interview
The Maureen Lander Archive
After nearly forty years as a practicing artist, Maureen Lander (Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutu, Pākehā) is developing a digital archive of photographs and related materials documenting her career to date. This has been made possible by the return of her daughter Kerry to Aotearoa New Zealand after twenty- three years in Australia. Assisted by Heritage Studios staff and funding from Creative New Zealand, Kerry is working to archive and digitise everything, which will eventually be available to the public. Maureen and Kerry share thoughts about the process so far.
Commentary
String Games
“If you think about it, digital, it’s something you play with string, your fingers and a language of computers, strings of binary code. The interplay of old and new. ”