To Market, To Market

Over 250 Maori artists gathered in Porirua, near Wellington at the beginning of October, for the biggest-ever MAORI ART MARKet. The event brought together contemporary painters, clay and glass workers, weavers, carvers, jewellers, ta moko artists, musicians, story-tellers and film makers as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival, which has run alongside the Rugby World Cup. One of those taking part this year, was Curator for the weaving displays, Tracy Huxford (Te Atiawa/Ngati Tama), who is shown here setting up work by Rototua master weaver, Teresa Murray. Murray’s Rapaki (shoulder cape) includes turkey and peacock feathers, woven harakeke and non-traditional dyes.

Top chef, Rex Morgan (centre) was joined by two trainee Maori chefs, Thomas McBride from Porirua (right) and Graham Snelgar from Grenada (left), both students at Whitireia Polytechnic. Morgan ran cooking demonstrations at the Market, based around contemporary Maori food, which included the use of tradition favourites like titi (muttonbird) and karengo (seaweed). He also gave away the secrets to achieving the subtle hangi flavours in a contemporary way, producing food delicately infused with the mildly smoky flavours of hangi feasts on the marae. Morgan, who is a business partner and chef at Wellington’s classy Boulcott Street Bistro, is a regular on New Zealand television food shows, he’s won every major New Zealand culinary award, is the consultant chef to Air New Zealand, and he has travelled the world cooking for members of the Royal family, European presidents and the world’s rich and famous.

Jo Kingi of Omeka Leather, Dunedin has both Maori and Celtic blood, which is reflected in her range of leather bags, embellished with carved Celtic knots and Maori koru designs.

Contemporary Maori clay artist, Carla Ruka attracted the crowds with her exhibition of Maori Angel clay pieces. Auckland-based Ruka was introduced to clay as a medium back in 2000 and she’s never looked back. “I love the journey that comes from creating my visions from Papatuanuku – from the earth to the creation to the firing, everything is an exciting event and you’re forever learning,” she says.

Well known Maori artists, Para Matchitt (top, above), Bay Ridell (centre) and Barry Te Whatu were also among the wide range of exhibitors. Wellingtonian, Barry te Whatu, who is mentor to emerging artists at Weltec and a carving teacher at Te Kuru, exhibited a new body of work – Potaka, or spinning tops, made from marble and New Zealand native wood and embellished with bone and stone.

“The Maori Art market is about coming together. It’s not often we see senior artists alongside emerging artists like myself,” or that we get the opportunity to create bridges with other cultures. It’s always an honour to be invited,” he says.

In addition to local Maori artists, the market also featured works by invited international artists, among them, Dan Namingha from USA, Danny Eastwood from Australia, Filipe Toho, a New Zealand Tongan, Fat Feu’u a New Zealand Samona, documentary film maker, Peter Coates and Bunmei Okabe from Japan.  

http://www.maoriartmarket.com/

All images supplied by the Maori Art Market.

Bridging the Gap

Wellington. April 2009. Ajr

Although I've used this photo in the past (smaller), I'm revisiting it. I was trawling through photographs yesterday trying to decide what to run with this morning and this one leapt out at me. It's part of the City to Sea Bridge in inner city Wellington, which was created by Hawke's Bay Maori artist, Para Matchitt in 1993. If you click on City to Sea Bridge in the label line below, you'll be able to read more about it and see more of the stunning sculptures that make it stand out in a city of highrise and glass.

Contemporary Sculpture

Napier. May 2009. Ajr
When I visited Napier in May, I was delighted to come upon this contemporary sculpture by Maori artist, Para Matchitt. Entitled 'Heritage Fountain - Nga Puna Wai Whakapapa', it stands outside Napier's i-SITE Visitor Information Centre. I had thought the information centre might carry some more information about the work, but no, as is so often the case in my experience of information centres, they know too little about the important, obvious things right under their noses. Beyond the date inscribed on the work (1996), I'm sorry to report I was unable to discover anything further. However, you can see other works by this well known contemporary Maori artist, by clicking on Para Matchitt in the label line below this post.

More Matchitt

City to Sea Bridge, Wellington. April 2009 Ajr

Following on from Saturday’s images of Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge (scroll down), here are some close-ups of a number of the Para Matchitt sculptures that sit at the top of the bridge. “How We Got Here” is the theme of the gateway poles; and according to the nearby artist’s statement, “the celestial representations and symbols of love illustrate how our ancestors arrived in Aotearoa – as people are now arriving at the waterfront or crossing to the heart of the city.”

City To Sea

City to Sea Bridge, Wellington. April 2009. Ajr

I don’t know how many times I’ve driven UNDER Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge but today, for the first time ever, I walked OVER it. I’ve always admired the glimpses I’ve had of Para Matchitt’s sculptures and now I can safely say, they’re even better up close. Matchitt, a Hawke’s Bay-based contemporary Maori artist, created the works in 1993. This is a detail of one of the wooden works. I’ll bring you the best of them here on Monday morning.

Contemporary Maori Sculpture

Sculpture, Havelock North. 2008. Ajr

It was a cold wet day when I came upon this fountain sculpture by one of New Zealand’s leading senior Maori artists, Para Matchitt (b.1933). It sits in a small square in the Hawke’s Bay town of Havelock North and was commissioned as part of the town’s redevelopment.

Bridge Art

One of the carved figures
By Hawke’s Bay-based Maori artist, Para Matchitt.
on Wellington's overhead
waterfront pedestrian walkway,
The City To Sea Bridge.