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Exhibitions

Andy Leleisi'uao,  Supplement Letters to Warm the Rain, 2007 Lorene Taurerewa, Tree of Dreams, 2007 Greg Semu, Kupapa from A tribute to the Tangata Whenua 16 FEBRUARY 2008 - 8 JUNE 2008 SAMOA Contemporary 17 contemporary New Zealand Samoan artists. SAMOA Contemporary celebrates the very best of Samoan art in New Zealand today – its diversity, energy and innovation. The media, techniques and styles represented by the artists in the exhibition are far-ranging, and include paintings, photography and installations.  With the impact of Samoan culture on New Zealand society being felt in fields as diverse as sport, cinema, theatre and literature, SAMOA Contemporary, presented within a community well represented by local Samoan people, showcases the strength of the work of Samoan artists within the New Zealand visual arts scene. MORE Edith Amituanai Fatu Feu'u Graham Fletcher Niki Hastings-McFall Lonnie Hutchinson John Ioane Anita Jacobsen Shigeyuki Kihara Lily Laita Nanette Lela'ulu Andy Leleisi'uao Nestor Opetaia Genevieve Pini Greg Semu Siliga David Setoga Lorene Taurerewa Michel Tuffery       Edith Amituanai, The Crichton Girls, 2007        Graham Fletcher, The Eternals, 2007

Ghost Camp, James Lavadour Owl Dance, Lillian Pitt

16 FEBRUARY 2008 - 8 JUNE 2008 CROW’S SHADOW - Prints from Native American artists Pataka is delighted to showcase over thirty prints by twenty or so leading Native American artists. The exhibition will present the widest range of work by Native American artists seen in New Zealand in over a decade. The prints have been created at the legendary Crow's Shadow Institute in Pendleton, Oregon and represent contemporary Native American art at its finest. Founded in 1992, the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (CSIA) is located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and has the goal of creating educational and professional opportunities for Native American people through artistic development. MORE             Wyit View, Joe Feddersen                              Guardian-III,-Wuon-Gean-Ho

22 MARCH 2008 - 22 JUNE 2008 WATER ON WATER - Kiribati in crisis?  Photographs by Tony Whincup The cultural practices of the I-Kiribati are particular to the here and now - to the land and the sea and its resources. Subsistence life on an atoll is held in a fine balance between the limited resources, the ingenious use of traditional skills and the weather – an inter-relationship that is vulnerable to even the slightest environmental change. There is nowhere for the I-Kiribati to go, there is no higher ground to retreat to, there is no alternative source of potable water should the water lens shrink and there are no alternative food sources should the ecosystem of the reef break down. Although land is at risk, of much greater importance is the danger of losing a unique culture. The purpose of this exhibition is to provoke thought about the devastating effects that climate change could have upon those living on the outer islands of Kiribati. The lives and communities on these tiny coral atolls are the human and personal face of the economic and political debates of Kyoto, Bali and beyond. MORE

BOTTLE CREEK GALLERY

8 MAY - 25 MAY THE INVENTOR NEXT DOOR The Inventor Next Door - profiling our local inventors and their inventions. The Inventor next door is a creative expo that sets out to find the innovators in our communities. This exhibition showcases these inventive people. "We want to bring you knowledge and educate the inventive mind and question the non inventive mind." says John Poppleton. "We will enlist youth to show us there are no boundaries and showcase their creativity. We will share knowledge and hold workshops to help anyone that is keen to learn. Finally, we will identify winning ideas that are ready to commercialise. We will help people with inventive ideas achieve their goals and help them to succeed. May 2008 will be the year of celebration of our own Kiwi Ingenuity. Look out for talks and events focused around the Inventor Next Door exhibition - DAN BISHOP – Mind Mapping Saturday 10 May, 10.30am – Library A visual approach to creativity and problem saving with visual organisation. IPONZ/STEVE SMITH – Idea and the Patent Process Saturday 10 May and Saturday 24 May – 12 lunchtime, in the Bottle Creek Gallery Steve will talk about the process of researching, originality and the patent process. JOHN GIBBONS -  Ideas to Manufacturing Saturday 24 May, 10.30am – Helen Smith Community Meeting Room If you have an idea John will talk you through what is necessary to do to manufacture the idea. PATENT ATTORNEY – Acacia Law Saturday 24 May, 1pm – Helen Smith Community Meeting Room Our Patent Attorney will help you protect your idea and will talk about the pitfalls and suggestions on protecting your invention.

BLUE PACIFIC GALLERY

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

 

3 MAY - 2 JUNE 2008 I AM TIKI I Am Tiki, an exhibition of new work from John Hone Moriarty.  Hone quotes that "I AM TIKI is the largest collection of Tiki made from one artist currently exhibiting in New Zealand." Tiki has been with us from the beginning of time. "Some tribes say that man was created first by another God named Tiki." Tiki is portrayed in both carvings and adornment as a symbol of fertility. Maori embrace tiki as a representation of life, God, first man, ancestors and whakapapa. Its embryonic form is both male and female.  For me, Tiki has a multilayered meaning inspiring me to spirituality. It's influence is positive. To create these Tiki I have used the materials, tools and colours of this era just as my ancestors used what materials were accessible to them. What I enjoy most in the creation of Tiki is how they are embraced by those who receive them. All my Tiki are "Born in New Zealand." Hone Moriarty 2008 Throughout Morairty's life, he has enjoyed working as a craft person. Several years ago he was encouraged by a friend "Gavin Reedy" to join the Waananga in Palmerston North to study art. Majoring in ceramics and painting, Moriarty also used photography as a medium to capture the essence of his work. This exhibition has given Moriarty the opportunity to express his passion for art and Tiki.