Archive 2009

HITARATARA ANA TE KIRI!
     18 Dec 2008 – 11 Jan 2009
     Te  Wananga  - O - Raukawa  exhibition of student and tutors work.  

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WHITIREIA POLYTECH  - Figment Exhibition
29 Nov 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 
  
FIGMENT offers up exciting new, end of year work from second and third year
Bachelor of Applied Visual Arts students. The show includes jewellery, paintings,
prints, ceramic sculpture, fibre, and video and the exhibited works are the culmination
of each artist’s personal journey through exploration, research and development over
the last 20 weeks.

Two beautiful and professionally produced catalogues have also been developed by
the students and are available on request.

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RICKY MAYNARD Australian Aboriginal Photographer
October 2009

Whether it's portraits of Wik elders, images providing insight into the despair
and recovery of Aborigines from rehabilitation centres or the mutton birding
traditions of his own community, Ricky Maynard's unique documentary
photography sheds light on his culture, bringing attention to Aboriginal
social and political realities. His passion and meticulous attention to detail
encapsulates an honest and deeply felt interpretation of his people and the
land they inhabit.

Maynard, of Tasmanian Aboriginal descent, is a documentary photographer
who lives on Flinders Island in Bass Strait between Tasmania and the
southeast Australian mainland. This exhibition presents his latest
developing body of work which he began in 2005, as well as a selection
of earlier works from the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1990 Maynard was the recipient of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island
Arts Board grant which assisted him to undertake a year's full time study as
part of the degree program in Documentary Photography at the International
Centre of Photography, New York. In 1994 his series No More Than What
You See probed indigenous deaths in custody in South Australian prisons
and he was awarded the 1994 Mother Jones International Prizes for
Documentary Photography and the Human Rights Commission
Photography Award. In 2003 he received the Kate Challis RAKA
Ward for Indigenous Contemporary Creative Arts for his portrait
Arthur. In 2004 he was awarded the Australian Council for the Arts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board membership.

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 ROAD
20 SEPTEMBER 2008 - 1 FEBRUARY 2009 

North Road references a map of the old Porirua Road drawn in 1849 by
Thomas Fitzgerald, which traces the route from Johnsonville to Paekakariki.
It draws on the dairy entries of early travellers who ventured norht of Wellington,
and features drawings, prints and paintings.

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   'BRING IT BACK'
   15 Jan – 1 Feb 2009
   Cannons Creek Opportunity centre celebrates their 30th
Anniversary with a photographic exhibition.

all photographs will be auctioned off at the end of the show to raise
funds for the opportunity centre. Sunday 1st Feb at 1pm   
Come and purchase a piece of history and help support the group.   

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Ki Whakarongo mo Papatuanuku - listening for papa
   24 Jan – 15 Feb 2009
  Paerau Corneal- ceramics.

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RONTSTAGE
Anoek Steketee
12 December 2008 - 15 February 2009

The west portrays Iranians as people of an oppressive government. But what
happens in the actual lives of Iranian people? Steketee was curious about the
ordinary images of Iranian people missing from the media so she travelled to
Iran to find them. Her photographs strive to reveal their everyday lives as
being not so different from our own.

In a series of staged photographic images, she seeks to portray these people
in the public spaces of everyday life. Individuals, when forced into uniformity,
still manage to preserve their individuality and uniqueness – like the image of
young girls looking like Vogue models posing under a larger-than-life image
of an ayatollah, or the pair of Converse All Stars peeking out from
underneath a burqa.

Anoek Steketee (Netherlands, 1974) trained at the Royal Academy of Art
in The Hague and spent a year doing postgraduate master studies at the
Academie Sint Joost in Breda. She has exhibited her work in Berlin,
Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague and Wellington. Skeketee was nominated
for the Joop Swart Master Class of World Press Photo.

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OFF THE WALL - Eco Print to art couture
5 -22 Feb 2009

An exhibition containing visually stimulating textile works by Porirua
artists including two current Whitireia students Cleo Thorpe Ngata and
Olivia Giles, recent graduate Billee Mutton and former student,
Rachelle Toimata. The artists have researched and applied eco colour,
dies and shibori techniques on wearable arts and textiles.

The concept of the show is to produce contemporary textiles and Wearable
Arts cultures based in New Zealand. A DVD has been produced to introduce
NZ wearable arts culture showing a range of art forms e.g. dance and
performing arts, it then focuses on local textile artists practices. Whitireia
Community Polytechnic student wearable artworks were shown in Philippines
with other NZ designers on Waitangi Day 2008. Local works developed with
mentoring from Suzanne Tamaki and Kohai Grace have made their entries into
Westfield Style Pasifika and Montana WOW.  An original sound track has been
developed for this project by WCP design technician Abby Richardson with
additional textile work that demonstrates the versatility of the artists involved.
This DVD was shown at the International Shibori Symposium in France in
November 2008, along with textile works by student Cleo Thorpe Ngata and
presentations by Textile Design tutor Deb Donnelly.

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 EY! IRAN
29 November 2008 - 1 March2009

Simply translated, the title ey! Iran means 'oh, Iran'. While exploring
many of the complexities that influence life in Iran, the works in this
exhibition also highlight the fundamental similarities in all of our lives.
The exhibition reinforces the fact that any country is ultimately made
up of people and that the people of Iran have hopes, fear and aspirations
like everyone else. The artists take on issues of identity, gender and social
restrictions and by doing so capture a side of Iran which is often contrary
to that presented by the western media.

The exhibition is a Gold Coast City Art Gallery initiative. Gallery curator
Mandana Mapar was born in Iran, raised in New Zealand and is now
based in Queensland. She has drawn together 18 photo media artists
for this project, most of whom still live and work in Iran (although many
exhibit widely overseas).

Eh! Iran allows us to see at first hand what contemporary Iranian photography
is like as is emerges from within that culture, not at one remove. Although
most of the photographers and filmmakers represented here have travelled
and exhibited extensively outside of their country, most were trained in
photography at Tehran's Azard University and their imagery (which is
produced in Iran) is not stereotypically Persian. By this I mean that
Mandana and her colleague have chosen photomedia images that do
not necessarily cater to popular expectations. It is non-conformist
and challenging.

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POSITIVELY CREATIVE CULTURE

16 Feb - 15 March 2009

An exhibition from the staff of the Porirua City Council.

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Whenua
21 Feb – 22 March 2009

New paintings of the local landscape by Pauline Morse.

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 LOCAL COLOUR

  19 March - 5 April 2009

  A group show from local 
  artists who are seeing red!

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ONCE UPON A TIME....  
Jewellery inspired by childhood memories
29 March - 3 May 2009

Jewellers include: Viviene Atkinson, Tara Brady, Natalie Brasell, Kylie Fyfe,
Glynis Gardner, Jhana Millers, Neke Moa, Lindsay Park, Kristelle Plimmer,
Spring Rees, Sue Shore, Nadine Smith, Margaret Tolland and Kate Woodka.

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THRIFT
Four Quilters
Anna Prussing, Kathy Morrison, Esther Woollaston, Heather Harding
21 February - 17 May 2009

A fascination with the hand-made seems to be sweeping the country,
one of the reasons perhaps for the resurgence of interest in quiltmaking
in New Zealand in the 21st century. Environmentally conscious
consumers are abandoning excess and seeking unique, authentic
products with the ‘look of the hand’. Quilts have traditionally been
made by hand by stitching scraps of cloth together into pleasing
patterns – a thrifty occupation indeed. 

As the global financial crisis worsens and people try to live and
work in more sustainable ways, the lessons of the ‘do-it-yourself’
generations seem more pertinent than ever. During thirty years of 
depression and war, ‘our parents and grandparents met adversity
with thrift, and nowhere is this more enduringly evident than in
antique textile art.’1 

The traditional quilt has been given a new contemporary vocabulary,
as quilters rediscover its potential as a form of self-expression.
Yet quilters continue to create their work from recycled fabrics _
‘making do’ with found textles. The four quilt artists showcased in
this exhibition create unique contemporary art quilts from recycled
materials – old bedspreads, curtains, clothing and blankets. Katherine
Morrison creates bold, abstract quilts from recycled New Zealand
blankets. Esther Woollaston scours op shops for recycled fabrics
that have been softened by age. Anna Prussing takes great pleasure
in using old clothing bought from the op shops in her community,
while Heather Harding seeks out discarded remnants of silk and satin.
Implicit in their work is a rejection of mass consumption and an
awareness of environmental sustainability.

For Morrison, Prussing and Woollaston, the artistic process involves
the retrieval of meaning from textile art. Morrison often uses old
hospital and wartime blankets – material already heavy with
emotional weight. Recycling New Zealand blankets and sheets
reinforces her sense of place and identity. Prussing associates
quiltmaking with personal memory and family heirlooms. Her finely
stitched, memory-laden quilts are made to celebrate personal rites
of passage for her extended family. Woollaston creates quietly
eloquent, meditative quilts that are rooted in her life experience.
Her abstract quilts, in a restricted palette of subtle subdued colours
inspired by nature, are intended as metaphors for the ‘interior life’.
Heather Harding's monochrome whole-cloth quilts pay homage to
the beauty of traditional Welsh quiltmaking, evoking nostalgia
and comfort.

These four Wellington quilt artists are creating works inspired by
history and tradition but with contemporary messages, while firmly
grounded in the art of making do.

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THERE ARE PLACES I REMEMBER
Ian Taylor

30 April - 24 May

Ian Taylor was born and brought up on a council housing estate called
Dormanstown in Redcar on the edge of the Tees estuary. Ian’s father,
upon returning from active service in the mid 1940’s, had secured work
in one of the many steel rolling mills close to that large housing complex.
This development was modern and well laid out in an open setting with
front and rear gardens to the houses and green open spaces. Ian was
very happy there for this was an optimistic time for many. The war had
had a huge impact on the people of Great Britain. A sense of a certain
freedom and general goodwill prevailed which was picked up by many
youngsters of Ian’s generation.This sense of great possibility erupted
in the early 1960’s through the fashion and music revolutions spearheaded
by the Beatles and the Merseyside sound. As a certain prime minister was
quoted as saying,”You’ve never had it so good”.

I simply mention this because Ian as an artist is most powerfully driven
and inspired by his early life, by the warmth and comfort of a close knit
family life so tragically broken by the loss of this father when he was sixteen.
Ian’s early love of art was instilled by Rod Stone, his art master at school.
Early on in his life Ian knew he wanted to be an artist and to this end he held
many jobs until finally he was able to attend art school’s in Middlesbrough,
Sheffield and Ruskin School at Oxford University. Ian’s way of life quickly
became ruled by the need to paint. His is a serious passion highly informed
by the history and traditions of Western European painting. While having a
deep appreciation  of the modern movement from the impressionists onwards
he also holds a profound appreciation of many of the great classical painters
from Titian through Rembrandt and Goya to Delacroix and Ingres. As an art
student his abiding inspiration was Paul Cezanne who many consider to be
the founder of the modern art movement. 

One of the most important aspect of Ian’s work the creation of, large, free
painted “ideas” pieces. These works frequently evoke his past in England.
Dormanstown and the works, his neighbours and friends, the football he
played and the music he listened to, all feature strongly. Perhaps however
the most important reference is to the movies he watched in his youth.
The carefully constructed compositions of a John Ford film are not lost
on Ian. His desire to create something similar in paint, the balanced,
layered structure, self evident in the great movies, gives these pieces
a considerable originality. 

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 REFLECTION: Battle of Crete 1941 - Manos Nathan

9 May - 1 June

Approached by the New Zealand Olympic Committee in 2004,
Manos Nathan, of Maori and Cretan ancestry, was asked to
create an artwork to celebrate the connection between New
Zealand and Greek people. Nathan made an Ipu Whenua
which was buried at the Phaleron Allied War Cemetery by
the New Zealand Olympic team. During the burial ceremony
kokowai from Nathan's papakainga was sprinkled into the
vessel to represent the blood shed by the N.Z. Armed Forces
in defence of Crete.

In May 2006 Nathan participated in a pilgrimage to Crete with
surviving members of the 28 Maori Battalion and other New
Zealand servicemen, attending the 65th Battle of Crete
commemorations. The pilgrimage included visits to battle sites
and urupa; memorial services and civic functions to honour the
veterans. "A special occassion for me was the unveiling of a
plaque acknowledging the efforts of my grandfather, his
whanau and the villagers of Sklavopoula for their support
given to Allied Soldiers during the invasion" says Nathan.
In recent months Nathan has been assisting Patricia Grace
with research regarding Crete during WW2, particularly as
it relates to his parents story. 

The convergence of these three things, the Olympic Commission,
the 2006 pilgrimage and the biography have all served to re-ignite
Nathan's interest in the Battle of Crete, its relevance to our nation
and to the 28th Maori Battalion in particular and to encourage
him to honour his whakapapa (family) connection to Crete and
to those historical events. The time seems right to reflect on this
history and Nathan's relationship to it through his art work.

"I wish to create a body of celebratory and commemorative
works inspired by those past and present events" says Nathan.

Supported by Te Waka Toi

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 FACE VALUE
Photography and film installation by Serena Giovanna Stevenson.
14 February – 7 June 2009

Expressed through photography and film, Face Value conveys
the intimacy of Māori facial moko (tattoo) through six personal stories.

Face Value compels us to be drawn into the everyday space
and profound moments before, during, and after the intensely
personal process of ta- moko, as seen through the eyes of
photographer and multi-media artist Serena Giovanna Stevenson.

Face Value looks at facial ta- moko in its unique environment –
absorbing the viewer’s attention but refraining from entering
into the history, specific cultural knowledge or politics of moko.
The scenes are of real people in their homes, familiar spaces, both
indoors and outdoors: we experience the sincerity, human impulse
and gaze of understanding passing through the eyes of one
generation to the next – from grandfather to grandchild, daughter
to mother and on and on.

The images – an otherwise simple capture of people, settings and
landscapes - reveal themselves to be precious steps along the journey
that follows the recipient receiving his or her facial moko from the ta- moko
artist, surrounded by the love of family and friends.
 

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 THE CRESCENT MOON
The Asian Face of Islam in New Zealand
Photographs by Ans Westra
18 February - 24 May 2009

The Crescent Moon: The Asian Face of Islam in New Zealand was commissioned
by the Asia New Zealand Foundation as part of its ongoing commitment to raising
awareness and understanding of Asian cultures in our country.

Asia is home to more than half the world’s Muslims, and the majority of Muslims who
have settled in New Zealand hail from one or other Asian country. In common with
many Muslims the world over, Asian Muslims in New Zealand have had to contend
with the suspicion that befell them following the tragic terrorist attacks in 2001.
The Crescent Moon enables some members of the Muslim community to share their
personal stories, in their own words, with accompanying photographs.
 

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 DELHI DRAWINGS
Denys Watkins
14 March - 21 June 2009

Delhi Drawings were conceived and executed while on a residency in
Sanskriti Kendra in South Delhi. The works are painted with oxides
and paints on handmade paper, all of which were sourced from local
markets. The drawings were constructed without preconception from
everyday objects sourced from the nearby Mehrauli Market which
traded in domestic wares, kitchen appliances,  haberdashery, fruit &
vegetables, spices, household paints, plumbing and building materials.
 

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I SEE RED
14 March - 21 June 2009

Shaped for younger audiences and the young at heart, visitors to Pataka
will be invited to respond to the I See Red exhibition artworks in new ways,
including looking at them through red glasses and discovering the fascinating
tales behind the production of different red pigments - including from dried
cochineal beetles, some of which are on display. In addition to this, James
Ormsby's folding card kowhaiwhai-covered whare, designed as a portable
version of his drawing in the show, is itself a miniature work of art that
visitors can construct and take home.

The emotional, cultural and historical power of red is proven through an
exciting selection of artworks, predominantly from the collections of
Christchurch Art Gallery, by artists including Yuk King Tan, Niki
Hastings-McFall, Anne Noble, Shane Cotton, Boyd Webb,
Gretchen Albrecht, James Ormsby, Colin McCahon, Louise Henderson,
Ann Robinson, Richard Killeen, Margaret Stoddart and Charles Barraud.

The exhibition's curator Ken Hall says '"I See Red has been extremely
well received - not just by kids - and enjoyed for its lively mixture of
historical and contemporary works, which meet here in unexpected
ways. I See Red also contains rich stories, and offers many entry
points from which to look at and learn about art. All visitors will
make connections and find things that speak to them."

I See Red was a Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu touring exhibition. 

   
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 WELLINGTON WOODTURNERS GUILD
9 July - 2 August

TURNINGS PLUS, Woodcraft produced by members
of the Wellington Woodturners Guild.

The 'Guild of Woodworkers, Wellington Inc.' consists of approximately
120 members from the greater Wellington Region.  The Guild's aim is to
provide a forum for those interested in working with wood to meet
together and to develop their skills and knowledge.  This is the 4th
year of the Turnings Plus exhibition, and the second year it has been
held at Pataka. 

For the duration of this stunning exhibition, the Wellington Guild of
Woodworkers will be demonstrating the use of lathes and
woodturning techniques with in-gallery wood-turning demonstrations. 
  

1839 EXCHANGES
Jewellery by Jason Hall
30 May - 9 August 2009

Since 1998 Jason Hall's jewellery has been asking questions about what it means to be Pakeha. 1839 Exchanges, Jewellery by Jason Hall is an exhibition about jewellery, identity and cultural exchange. Most cultures have made use of the amulet where commonly a tooth or a claw is strung up or worn to protect the wearer from harm. Hall's jewellery uses the amulet to talk about the anxieties of being Pakeha. These are ambiguous objects - it is not always clear who is protected by Hall's amulets, or what terrors they are intended to fight off.

The exhibition features a series of amulets created for Frederick Edward Manning, an Irishman who arrived in Aotearoa in 1833 and became a trader. Manning was a well known Pakeha Maori who initially advised Maori not to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, later became a land court judge in the 1860's and a member of the European colonial gentry.

 THE MIGRATING KITCHEN
7 August - 13 September  

The kitchen is the hub of the house, the heart of the home - a place where families and friends are fed, stories are told, memories rekindled.

The Migrating Kitchen exhibition, featuring some of New Zealand's multi-cultural communities, celebrates food, families and festivals. It is an interactive visitor experience for
young and old -  the chance to step inside our neighbours' kitchens - to hear their stories, taste their food and take away their recipes.

Explore the kitchen spaces, each reflecting their cultural roots - Afghan, Chilean, Cook Islands, Indian, Italian and Zimbabwean.  Take away recipes to try at home.  Enjoy the aromas of spices, herbs and foods.  Watch the videos. Each community has a week when their foods, crafts and cultures are also displayed on the central "kitchen table".

On the following Saturdays there will be cooking demonstrations and tastings in the gallery.

Saturday 8 August, 2pm – Zimbabwe
Saturday 15 August, 2pm - Italy
Saturday 22 August - Afghanistan
Saturday 29 August - Cook Islands
Saturday 5 September - India
Saturday 12 September - Chile

.... see www.migratingkitchen.org for details 
on The Migrating Kitchen organisation.

SECONDLIFE
Five Artist projects
27 June - 11 October 2009

The recycling of everyday materials into art is experiencing a resurgence in popularity among artists, but with a fresh contemporary message. Against a backdrop of an overheating planet and rapidly depleting resources, it is hardly surprising that a new generation of artists should create art designed to make their concerns about the environment visible.

Eve Armstrong, Judy Darragh, Niki Hastings-McFall, Joanna Langford and Peter Madden respond to the call to conserve resources and live more responsibly, ‘upcycling’ everyday materials and ready-made objects (objets trouvés), giving them a ‘second life’ as works of art. Modern-day alchemists, the artists magically transform the old into the new - creating works of great beauty and imagination from cheap, humble materials.

While Eve Armstrong reuses and reconfigures cast-off material within new contexts, the others transform their material through renewal and reinvention. Objects transplanted from the realm of the mundane to that of the aesthetic transcend their everyday purpose. They also carry a subtle political message.

By creating art from the detritus of contemporary consumerist culture, artists can reflect their concerns about the negative impact of that culture and emphasise the importance of recycling, while maintaining a sustainable art practice. By extending the life cycle of their materials, they can inspire others to be less wasteful and more creative, without resorting to preaching.

Helen Kedgley
Senior Curator Contemporary Art

Judy Darragh, Plonk2007
Courtesy of the artist and Two Rooms Gallery

 
  Niki Hastings-McFall, Crucifixion 2009
  Collection of the artist

ALL BOUND FOR MUMULAND
Gordon Thompson
8 - 26 October
Differing cross-cultural perceptions of art, dance, music and spirituality became inextricably linked form the first encounter. All Bound for Mumuland is Gorden Thompson's spin on a well-known ditty encapsulating some trials and tribulations for Maori as we head towards a multi cultural society.

10 down surveys highlights from the past 10 years of Wayne Youle's practice. A versatile and prolific artist, Youle has produced an impressive and remarkably varied body of work in the last decade which has attracted considerable critical acclaim. Youle, who grew up in Titahi Bay, first exhibited his work in the Blue Pacific Gallery at Pataka in 1999 and later had his first solo exhibition, Welcome to Maoriland in 2002. Since then his work has been included in five major exhibitions at Pataka. 

Youle's output is considerable – in ten years he has had over twenty solo and forty group exhibitions. With work included in major New Zealand exhibitions including Techno Maori: Maori Art in the Digital Age (2001) at Pataka and the City Gallery Wellington and Hei Tiki at the Auckland City Art Gallery, recently his work has featured in a number of international exhibitions including Pacifica Styles at Britain's Cambridge University Museum of Archeology and Anthropology and, in November this year, at the Hyde Park Centre in Chicago, USA.

With over 55 works, installed salon-style – with a horror vacui density – 'like the photos at the back of the marae - old and the new all together showing at least I hope a snippet of my artistic practice and its diversity'- the exhibition showcases the diversity of his practice both in terms of themes and materials.

Born in Porirua in 1974, of Ngati Whakaeke, Ngapuhi and European descent, Youle, like many New Zealanders, grew up with a dual cultural heritage. His bicultural heritage is reflected in his work which deals with race, religion, Maori/Pakeha relationships and the place of Maori culture within New Zealand's dominant pakeha mainstream.

Skully-pops (Death of the Tiki Pop)  2007
casting resin & cardboard sticks
Courtesy of the artist & Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland

Often Liked Occasionally Beaten  2004
resin on cardboard sticks
Collection of the artist

Simple Mathematics  2005-06       laser cut, powder-coated steel       Courtesy of Nigel Williams       & Rae-Ann Sinclair                 Stay still...don’t move  2007         acrylic & enamel on canvas        Collection of the artist                   12 Shades of Bullshit  2003       paint on acrylic       Private Collection

A CHARITABLE DEED – A COMMENDABLE ACT
The story of the Pauatahanui Burial Ground
15 August - 24 November 2009

The Pauatahanui burial ground was established in 1856 by a Deed of Trust. Thomas Hollis Stace gave the land to be used as a Protestant burial ground and chapel for a sum of five shillings. The land had a colourful history including being an early pa site, then later the pa of  Te Rangihaeata, the fighting chief of Ngati Toa. Later it became the barracks for Imperial troops who were involved in building the road over the Paekakariki Hill Road.

The protestant chapel, built on the land in 1857, was demolished in 1908. St Alban's Anglican Church was built on an adjacent site in 1896. The burial ground passed into the care of the Porirua City Council in 2007 with the passing of a special Act in Parliament.  This exhibition traces the history of the site and celebrates the passing of the Pauatahanui Burial Ground Act.
 

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE,
THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNITY:

PAEKAKARIKI - It's Another Name for Paradise 
A group exhibition of Paekakariki artists
30 October - 22 November 2009

Curated by Nik Bullard

The small village of Paekakariki on the Kapiti Coast is a centre for a diverse range of visual arts creativity. Paekakariki - It's Another Name for Paradise showcases this by exhibiting paintings of various media, photography, sculptures, installation art, jewellery, felt art, ceramics, found object art, furniture and digital art.

HarrisParis Monaghan, Metal Sculptural Brooch 

    
  Irene Ferguson, Still Life Part ll (Fawn)

John Baxter, Tai Pare - Early NZ Painting 3

   ARTWORK FOR SALE BY LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM AROUND NEW ZEALAND

    Contemporary Maori Art including Todd Douglas, Rex Homan, Te Rongo Kirkwood, Neke Moa, Lewis Gardiner and Stacy Gordine
    
                                                Te Rongo Kirkwood                                                                                                                                    

  
    Guest artist from Maori Art Market, Dan Namingha
   Dan Namingha was one of the invited artists for Maori Art Market and we are priviledged to be exhibiting his work until the 22nd November.   
   Namingha's art draws upon the landscape and culture of his native American Southwest, blending abstraction and reality with stunning
   graphic power. 

   
   Hopi Landscape

       
   Passage#49

                                                                                                                  Hopi Landscape

   ARTWORK FOR SALE BY LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM AROUND NEW ZEALAND

WHITIREIA POLYTECHNIC Purapura Whetu: Myriad of Stars
27 November 2009 - 10 January 2010

An exhibition of Whitireia's Visual Arts and Design Degree course senior students final years' work, including printmaking, painting, photography, bone carving and jewellery.

Spokesperson, senior student Anna Nelson says Purapura Whetu: Myriad of Stars is a vibrant exhibition of diverse and dynamic works.

"These art works are the culmination of a year of experimentation and hard work by degree students in their second and third years.  It's a good opportunity for anyone  interested in art to see what's on offer".

Exhibitions
 

MUA KI MURI
Intergenerational Creativity
7 October 2009 - 7 February 2010

6 contemporary Maori artists

Mua ki Muri/ Intergenerational Creativity showcases the work of six of New Zealand's leading contemporary Māori artists – Bob Jahnke, Shane Cotton, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Ngataiharuru Taepa, Rachael Rakena and Israel Birch - all connected by teaching roles at Te Putahi-a-Toi, the School of Māori Studies at  Massey University. Working alongside each other, the six artists have created a strong, intergenerational artistic community - diverse in whakapapa and art practice and informed by both the local and the global. These artists, and Te Putahi-aToi, have become an influential force in New Zealand's artistic life.

The exhibition illuminates the strength of contemporary Māori art. The six artists are conscious of participating in – and contributing to - the continuum of Māori art. Central to Māori culture is the idea of lineage or whakapapa – the passing of knowledge, expertise and values from one generation to another. Mentorship and  manakitanga is seen as a fundamental responsibility. Te Putahi-a-Toi, through these artists, has indigenised the practice of teaching contemporary art, imbuing it with a commitment to Māori culture and Te Reo - enabling a modern and evolving expression of indigenous concepts. 

Rachael Rakena, One man is an island [He Waiata Whaiaipo Series] 2009

Courtesy of the artist and Bartley + Company Art

   
Bob Jahnke, Roses for Wittgensteini II, 2009         
Collection of Massey University                           
Albany Art Collection   

Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Haere ki wiwi, ki wawa                                (Go wherever you like) 2009                                      Courtesy of the artist                              Shane Cotton, Eden to Ohaeawai 2000                                        Collection of the artist                       Ngataiharuru Taepa, Te Pitau a Tiki #1                             Collection of the artist,                         Courtesy of Page Blackie Gallery

LORENE TAUREREWA
SLEIGHT OF HAND
21 November 2009 - 7 February 2010

Finding inspiration in the stories of her Samoan, Chinese and European ancestors, Lorene Taurerewa weaves her personal and historical family narrative into her large-scale drawings.

In this new series of figurative, charcoal works, Sleight of Hand, begun during her recent residencies in New York and Seoul, Taurerewa focuses on stories from her mother's childhood.

Combining an intense and powerful presence with a subtle, emotional complexity, the monumental drawings present themselves as alternative psychological worlds. Dressed in Victorian dresses, the imposing, life-size figures that confront the viewer seem caught between childhood and adulthood - uncertain, apprehensive and vulnerable. Solitary figures, they interact with a variety of exotic pets and toys. In some of the drawings mysterious, spirit-like figures evoke the presence of family ancestors.

By contrast, her small works on paper and canvas are delicate and intuitive - visual fragments of narrative stories.

Taurerewa's drawing technique has been influenced by her study of traditional Chinese painting. She consciously sets up an ambiguous space with subtle shifts of scale and spatial depth, contrasting the inky charcoal marks with empty spaces.

DIASPORA
Pluralism + Singularity
17 October 2009 - 31 January 2010

6 New Zealand contemporary artists
Gretchen Albrecht, Tony Lane, Richard Lewer, Denis O'Connor, Fiona Pardington, James Ross.

 
   Gretchen Albrecht Rosebud 2009 

   
      Denis O'Connor The Tangler's Highway (Trolley Car) 2008

       
      James Ross Yellow Black 

Tony Lane Three Necklaces 2004                Fiona Pardington, Tauhou-Silvereye 2006                   Richard Lewer Goodnight 2004

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE,
THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNITY:

TURANGAWAEWAE
An exhibition of artworks by the Hongoeka Whanau
17 December 2009 - 17 January 2010

An exhibition showcasing the work of Hongoeka artists and Whitireia Community Polytechnic marae based weaving students.

      
            Rangi gripp, Taiaha

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE,
THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNITY:

ETHIOPIA
An exhibition of photographs and a multimedia presentation of 
3 of our Wellington region's residents time spent working for
'Habitat for Humanity' in Ethiopia 
21 January 2010 - 16 February 2010

Kate MacPherson - photographs taken by children of Ethiopia, with Evan McBride's photographs taken in Ethiopia while working for 'Habitat for Humanity' and a multi media presentation from Ethiopia by Peter Van Der Burg.

Kate MacPherson 
In November 2008, sixteen children from Mercy Home in Addis Ababa were introduced to photography. All had come either directly from living on the streets or from extremely poor and underprivileged backgrounds. Their enthusiasm and delight in photography have culminated in some incredibly unique and inspired imagery that will be showcased in this exhibition as well as on the website www.eyesfromethiopia.com.
All profits from the sale of prints are donated back to the children’s home to fund their education and living expenses.

Peter van der Burg
Peter van der Burg travelled to Ethiopia in 2007 and 2008 with  teams of New Zealanders for Habitat for Humanity as part of their Global Village program. While there, the teams worked alongside locals to build their houses using the "chika method" building style. Spending four weeks at a time there, Peter shares his impressions of this very important time in his life as he experienced the country, it's people, the culture, work and religions.
 
The documentary "Chucking Chika" follows the method of this cost effective building technique, while the video wall (a matrix of 4 by 6 computer screens) becomes a dynamic photo display of images that capture the essence of the Ethiopian life as witnessed by the teams.
 
Peter is a Porirua resident of seven years (otherwise a Mainlander hailing from Nelson), and works in Information Technology for the Porirua City Council.

Evan McBride
Evan McBride - Faces of Ethiopia - a collection of photographic images  of the people of Ethiopia. Taken whilst in Ethiopia for a Habitat for  Humanity project.

   ARTWORK FOR SALE BY LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM AROUND NEW ZEALAND

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE,
THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNIT

LIGHT & SHADOW drawings by Catherine O'Donnell 20 February - 14 March  Large scale charcoal drawings by award winning artist Catherine O'Donnell, a resident of Blacktown, Porirua's Sister City in Australia.

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE,
THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNITY:

   AT THE BAY - TITAHI BAY ARTISTS
  18 March - 5 April  
   A group exhibition showcasing the talents of Titahi Bay residents.

         
                          Neil Penman, Bird                                Davey McGhie,Rock Guitar, No Strings Attached 
   
           Daniel Reeve,Mana Island

You are invited to chat to, or just observe, our PRINT AND PAPER MAKERS FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS as they demonstrate their skills in the Blue Pacific gallery
26 March- 7 April

Four internationally acclaimed print and paper makers from the Solomon Islands will demonstrate their skills throughout their exhibition from 24 March to 7 April. The days they will be conducting public workshops and demonstrations are Friday 26 March, Sunday 28 March, Wednesday 31 March, Thursday 1 April, Sunday 4 April through to Wednesday 7 April. Their public workshops will also include demonstrations for all levels - school groups, Whitireia Polytech trainees and other New Zealand print and paper makers.

Michel Tuffery (now among New Zealand's foremost artists) visited the Solomons in 1994 to help teach the villagers how to make woodblocks and how to print. Solomon Island artist Joe Lindsay also helped with the introduction to the islands of screen printing.

In 1996, Michel Tuffery returned with others to assist and upskill local artists, many of whom were already highly skilled wood carvers. The shift from three dimensional carving to paper and print making soon revealed some outstanding artists. One art style that is now famous far beyond the Solomon Islands is the use of a montage of traditional totem-like fish, bird and animal designs, now known as 'Spirit of the Solomons'.

The Solomon Island artists at Pataka Museum have been sponsored through a travel grant from Creative New Zealand, while the accommodation and local expenses are to be provided independently through various friends of the Solomon Islands in Porirua. Pictured: Ralph Ako

A brief bachground on the aid of these artists working in the Solomon Islands.

In 1994 New Zealand official assistance (NZODA) launched a pilot project in Balai in Malaita province. Working with the volunteer Solomon Island Development Trust, the project sought to provide villagers with alternative revenue generating projects as alternatives to the selling of their prime forests to Asian logging companies.

WEST AFRICA – Rhythm and Spirit.
21 February - 18 April 2010
An exhibition including textiles, sculpture, masks, drums and jewellery from West Africa, a region of mesmerising masked rituals, flamboyant dress and vibrant music.

The territory that West Africa occupies is diverse, from vast areas of desert lands to richly forested landscapes. This is matched by it's diversness of peoples, form highly rural to substantial urban populations. These physical chracteristics help create a diverse population of cultures and spiritual beliefs which form an important part of daily life. From birth to death, faith in the gods and belief in the presence of ancestor spirits is a part of life, expressed in dance, divination,ceremonies, carvings, funeral traditions and poetry.

West Africa Rhythm+Spirit is an Otago Museum touring exhibition

CAUSE AND EFFECT
Nestor Opetaia 
10 April - 9 May

This is an exploration of the bond and relationship between two allied arts - painting and music.  The exhibition is based on the idea of cause and effect where a response or reason is a product of an action or event. I wanted to take the concept of cause and effect and consciously apply it to a series of painting and music, creating works spontaneously and intuitively.

Working with my two collaborators, music and painting, I structured the compositions in an organic fashion. Pieces evolved by liberating chance and the constant act of randomly applying and uniting colour, markings, musical notes and sounds.

This method created ongoing opportunities and freedom of choice to rearrange, harmonise and complete a body of contrasted works.

Themes and emotions emerge at different moments and diverge through the use of colour, tonal values, light and layers.

With the music, the layering of sounds, dynamic arrangements, and the enhancement of moods and chord structures create journeys and stories.

Nestor Opetaia