Te Haerenga - The Journey II
June Northcroft Grant (1949-)
Te Arawa, Tuwharetoa, Tuhourangi, Ngati Wahiao
Acrylic on canvas (framed)
40 x 30"
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This painting (and the three others that make up this series - which are presented at the end of this web exhibition in the uncatalogued section) represesent a personal journey relating to a recent series of events. Essentially, the journey begins with my ancestors and the tohu or marks made by them. The prized huia feather relates to values or precious things and the manaia figure is the guardian.

Parawa - Tempest
Hepi Maxwell (1950-)
Te Arawa, Ngati Rangiwewehi
Te taonga rerewa (flower jade), Australian malie root base
6 x 7 x 2"
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The raging waves from a storm driven sea cannot hook or subdue the violent winds howling from the four corners of the earth. The ancient Maori endeavoured to live in harmony with nature as the survival of the human race depends on us working together in harmony with the land, sea and sky, as well as each other.

Noho Rangimarie - Harmony
Hepi Maxwell (1950-)
Te Arawa, Ngati Rangiwewehi
Black jade, matai base
8.5 x 5.5 x 2.5"
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This stylized sculpture depicts two kotuku in embrace. Sightings of kotuku are rare, as the Maori proverb infers "the white heron is a bird of one flight". Therefore to see two kotuku embraced refers to the rarity of the moment. The overall shape suggests a symbol of unity and eternity, emphasizing the permanence of the relationship.

Tatu - Contentment
Hepi Maxwell (1950-)
Te Arawa, Ngati Rangiwewehi
Kahurangi jade
2.75 x 2.25 x 0.25"
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This flightless bird is very vulnerable to attacks by predators. Therefore this image depicts the sleeping kiwi lying amidst the koru (fern) finding security and contentment in the environment.

Hine Nui Te Po - Great Maid of the Final Darkness
Colleen Waata Urlich (1939-)
Te Popoto / Nga Puhi / Ngati Whatua
Clays, oxides, terra sigillata with wax resist
23 x 9 x 9"
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Reflects the importance of the female essence in the creation of humankind, our protection and gathering in by Hine Nui Te Po at our final rite of passage. Patterning inspired by both ancient Lapita and Maori designs.

An Object of Desire
Ross Hemera (1950-)
Kai Tahu
Totara, aluminium inlay
31 x 14 x 8"
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This work extends my exploration of themes surrounding expressions of practice and intercultural relationships. The concept of this work centres on the idea that objects are loaded with symbolism and significance. The question that objects exist as ideas within the imagined world of dreams and aspirations and as physical items imbued with meaning and purpose.

An Object of Desire explores two very fundamental 'rights of passage' based on the themes: mixed Maori and Pakeha (European New Zealander) and the New Zealand passport. This work looks at the way these 'rights of passage' could be expressed in artistic terms.

The entranceway / gateway form signals that certain obligations and conditions are required in order to progress with validation. These requirements are expressed through both literal and obscure references to existing commonly known objects.

Selected portions of text from a New Zealand passport and a marriage certificate document are used to imply socially acceptable official authority. The metal (aluminium) gable atop the lintel is a reference to European culture. The canoe (waka) form is a reference to the Pacific region and in particular the Maori. The lintel represents the concept of connectedness or the bridge joining two different entities into a cohesive whole.

Pakake - Whale
Roi Toia (1966-)
Nga Puhi
Kauri, feather (with stand)
12 x 37 x 9"
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Awesome in appearance, seemingly effortless in its movement, the whale's majesty is matched only by the mystery that it attracts. Maoridom celebrates the pakake both as a living being and as a spiritual entity. Since Maori have been traveling outwards from Hawaiki using the ocean currents and winds to navigate, they were accompanied and guided by creatures known as kaitiaki (guardians). Such was the enduring nature of these excursions that spiritual guidance was part of a natural process ensuring a successful outcome to an otherwise dangerous journey.

The pakake is a stylized form of the whale breaching the waters surface. The design is indicative of Kae (an ancestor) that is represented in the surface design "tara-tara-a-Kae" and incorporates 'puhoro', a reference to the sea with the movement of the waves, tides and currents. Other elements of the design refer to the whale as a guardian of the waka during the great migration.

Interchange
Jolene Douglas (1950-)
Ngati Pu Hapu of Ngati Maru, Ngati Raukawa
Pastels on paper
25 x 22" (framed)
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My work is about personal journeys. The kete (baskets) are representative of myself - all those distinctive and personal traits woven together to make up a whole being. We generally only show glimpses of our personality at a time, hence the partial views. The dominant trait is revealed in the object which accompanies the kete. The stone represents my Catholic upbringing in 'Cleanliness ...'. The spiral represents my close relationship with my two daughters in 'Entwined'. The other two works make reference to life's journeys, with the many waka (canoes) in 'Pilgrimage,' and the changing pathways in 'Interchange'.

"You too can be a Maori" - Mike Tyson, Piri Sciascia, Robbie Williams
Robert Jahnke (1951-)
Te Whanau a Rakairoa o Ngati Porou
Photo engraved acrylic - edition 1/3
Each: 12 x 8 x 2" (framed)
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"You too can be a Maori" is a triptych that makes a statement about the globalization of cultural icons. The juxtaposition of British Pop Star, Robbie Williams, Maori Leader, Piri Sciascia (with an Italian surname), and Afro-American Pugilist, Mike Tyson, speaks volumes about the globalization of moko (Maori tattoo) as an icon of trans-global culture. Famous / infamous personalities, as globally accessible icons, are just a mouse-click away on the worldwide web.

In the spirit of Gayatri Spivak's process of 'strategic appropriation', the imprint of moko and 'tribal tattoo' is temporarily re-accessioned through cultural posturing that is real and imagined, physical and metaphysical. Simultaneously, a subtext of intellectual and cultural rights, peppered with appropriation, interrogates global access rights to cultural icons as pattern and image mined from the other side of the world.

Putarino - Flute
Kerry Tamihana (Thompson) (1967-)
Ngati Paoa
Mauri wood, whalebone inlay, totara base
4.5 x 22.5 x 3.5" (incl. base)
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Hine Raukatauri is the deity of flute music, particularly associated with the putarino, whose shape echoes that of the casemoth sack, Hine Raukatauri manifestation in this reality - of humankind. The casemoth female does not fly, but when ready to mate sends out a flute-like call to the beautiful pale-green males, and that flute-like call is the reason this ancient deity is associated with this particular moth.

Evolution of the Matau - Fish Hook
Kerry Tamihana (Thompson) (1967-)
Ngati Paoa
Whalebone, mother of pearl, mauri wood, deer bone, polished & stained cattle bone
16 x 33 1.5" (framed)
kx30603

This series reflects the progression and development of the fishhook from the older functional traditional item to a contemporary ornamental wearable art piece. The first three are made from traditional materials, whereas the last two utilize the cattle bone popular in contemporary usage and modern staining techniques.

kikorangi.whero.titiparera (kikorangi/blue,whero/red,titiparera/piercing winds)
Vicky Lee Hipora Stark (1962-)
Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tuhoe
Harakeke (New Zealand flax)
40 x 40 x 9"
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This work reflects my ongoing search for one's origins within my whakapapa (ancestry) and the ways in which they are conveyed to me. Titiparera (in simple terms, Windmill Knot) is used both in Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands. For me, it is an acknowledgement of all the women of the four winds, strengthening the connections of all peoples. The shape was inspired by a crochet potae (hat) crafted by my tupuna kuia (female ancestor), Hipora - who was a weaver of kete (baskets) and whariki (mats). Working on the form itself, the pupuke (swelling) of the maternal abdomen became the focus together with the pito (navel), bringing the visible link to the ancestors.

Nga Kakhu O te Ao Tawhito - Clothing of an Older Era
Vicky Lee Hipora Stark (1962-)
Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tuhoe
Harakeke (New Zealand flax)
61 x 20 x 9" (on stand)
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This piece makes reference to our classical period of kakahu (clothing). This classical period was the peak of cultural achievement, within a three hundred year term, approximately, prior to the advent of European culture and technology. It provided a reminder of the events and social unrest that took place due to different values brought with the arrival of Colonization. Among the changes, the Maori adapted to European style clothing and carvings suffered defacement by the removal of genital areas. In Maori terms, this is relevant to issues involved with whakapapa (genealogy). As the creation of kakahu was part of the economic system, the change of lifestyle had a negative impact on the social structure.

This kakahu is made for performance, consisting of a pake (shoulder piece) and a maro (loin covering). Suspended away from the body, the maro has mask like features when spread open and takes on the form of a bird. The maro in harakeke woven over the male form combines the two ideals of the renewal of Maori-consciousness and economic stability.

Heke Iho Series:
Kowhai Ngutukaka - (Red flower of Kowhai tree like the red beak of Kaka parrot) - Mangopare (Hammerhead shark) - Aramoana (Pathway of the sea)
Ngati Taepa (1976-)
Te Arawa, Te Ati Awa
Mixed media
Each: 48 x 19 x 9"
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This series of works presents a commentary on the 'kowhai ngutukaka', 'mangopare' and 'aramoana' patterns that once were the preserve of Maori cultural spaces. Today they may be found tattooed on the skin of both Maori and non-Maori, printed on clothing and coffee cups. The appropriation of Maori kowhaiwhai (painted scroll work) for domestic ware is not a new phenomenon, but dates back to the turn of the nineteenth century. The reconfiguration of the heke (rafter) and the juxtaposition of the kowhaiwhai imprinted mug with 'vacant' white heke, references the mining of indigenous spaces in the name of cultural commodification.

The title of this series is 'Heke Iho', which literally means to descend (or descended from). This title is part of a phrase that reads "He taonga i heke iho mai i nga matua tipuna" (It is a treasure that descends from our ancestors). In this context the above phrase is used to locate the importance of the kowhaiwhai: kowhai ngutukaka, mangopare and aramoana.