MAOR214: Aesthetics 2
Introduction to Contemporary Māori Art
Context of Māori Art
Overview
Māori contemporary art will be the focus of discussion.
Importance of examining the evolution of Māori art leading from post-contact periods to the present.
Mention of Artistic Work
Exhibit Discussion
Reference to Brett Graham's exhibition "O Pioneer" at the Christchurch Art Gallery, ending February 19.
Description of the artwork: A gun turret representing historical complexities, connecting to Queen Victoria’s cakes symbolically.
Acknowledgment of a documentary titled "Waha Raua," available on Prime or Sky Go, discussing various artists including notable Māori female art historian Na Huia Te Awa Kotaku.
Importance of Māori Art
Expression and Identity
Art serves as an expression of self and conveyance of Māori narratives.
Functions of Māori art include:
Promoting mental well-being.
Celebrating indigenous Māori heritage.
Serving as a medium for political expression and resistance against colonialism.
Reclamation
Historical Context and Evolution
Discussion on Post-Contact Period
Examination of the changes in Māori art post-European contact.
Recognizing the non-linear progression in Māori art influenced by fluid cultural perspectives.
Tovey Generation
Non-linear as the Maori worldview is not linear
Decline in Indigenous Techniques
Decline in carving and traditional art forms post-contact:
Resource competition and warfare diverting effort from carving to more immediate survival needs.
Rather than people specialising in a skill area, people were often forced to focus on some issues understood to be more important at the time
Loss of traditional art forms, with some iwi concealing important carvings to prevent appropriation.
Believed Europeans did not understand wairua
They were typically made from a single material
Carry a mauri (life force)
Further reason to conceal them
Changes in Design and Craft
Examination of new building methods and motifs introduced during European colonization, affecting traditional practices.
Introduction of painting techniques that took away from traditional carving styles.
Wharenui style transformation
Changes:
Shape
Decorations
Some centred around Christianity
Painted
Sir Apirana Ngata’s Legacy
Importance in Reviving Traditional Māori Art
Led a Renaissance
Recognized the decline of traditional art forms in 1916 while commissioning for his house and a church
Established a Māori arts and crafts school in 1927 to foster a renaissance in traditional carving techniques, combining education with cultural renewal.
NZ School of Maori Arts and Crafts
Lobbied the government for it
The pieces made there were placed in wharenui, increasing significance of work
Land Development Scheme
Lobbied to the government to establish farms for collective iwi
After getting funding, some of the carvings from the school went to the buildings on that land
Got fundings because it was an area centred around tradition
However, colonisation also discouraged tradition
Mid-20th Century Art Movements
Growth of Modern Techniques
Artists began utilizing modern tools and techniques while grappling with the identity of their art.
The concept of decolonization through the embrace of European methodologies emerged during the 1940s-50s.
Working with more modern tools and techniques
Took some time of expressionism to arrive as the movement was not based in NZ
Movement broke away from traditional European art
The Tovey Generation
Well-known generation of artists
Known for appropriation of Maori art, but did bring Maori art into the mainstrean
Theo Schoon influenced Gordon Walters
Gordon Walters, known for applying Maori design or motif to modernism
However, he often used straight lines, something rarely found in actual Maori art
Plagiarised outside of Maori culture as well
Dick Frizzell
‘Mickey to Tiki’
Built a business empire on appropriating Maori art
Went to find ‘shonky Maori art,’ could not find any, so he made it own
Thrives on and establishes controversies
Openly disrespects Maori culture
Introduction of Māori Arts Education
Gordon Tovey's influence as a National Supervisor allowed for a collective of Māori artists to innovate art education focusing on modernism while respecting traditions.
Notable artists from this period included Ralph Hotere and Fred Graham, who influenced the integration of modern aesthetics in Māori art.
To be trained to be art specialists, specialising in Maori modern art
Exhibitions were a form of resistance and reclamation
Appropriation in Art
Definitions and Context
Exploration of the concept of artistic appropriation, focusing on various artists and their engagements with Māori motifs without proper acknowledgment.
Contributes to the power inbalance
Focus on Theo Schoon
The Work of Theo Schoon
His appropriation of Māori designs and the mixed reception of his interpretations.
Acknowledgment of his impact on later artists while recognizing the controversies surrounding his use of Māori symbols.
Discussion on Gordon Walters
Contribution and Influence
Known for his Koru designs, Walters amalgamated Māori motifs into modernist expressions, reflecting on the transformation of Māori aesthetic practices.
Discussion on the contentious relationship between indigenous identities and Modernism, recognizing the complexities in representation.
Te Maori
International exhibition
1980s
Mostly traditional carving
Shown in America
Great controversy attached as there were concerns of catering to people who did not care for nor appreciate Maori culture. Many wondered why they had to prove themselves?
Also mostly traditional art (erases contemporary artists and suggests Maori culture has not progressed)
Also only work by men with only two or three women being consulted on the exhibition
Worked with Maori and international curators
Contemporary Māori Art Themes
Overview of Current Influences
Contemporary Māori artists navigate between indigenous traditions and modern societal issues, reflecting on their identity, land rights, and narratives influenced by colonialism.
The shift toward depicting land and identity through modern techniques observed in contemporary compositions.
Historically the art was produced as a collective. This still occurs, but not as frequently
Common themes:
Reclamation
Resistance
Cultural and language revival
Social issues
Purakau (creation stories)
Identity
Notable Contemporary Artists
Examples:
Cliff Whiting's large-scale works reflecting traditional narratives and contemporary techniques.
Incredible piece, must see at Ara
Tovey Generation
Started as landscape artist, but moved onto carvings, using modern materials and paint
Kura Te Waru Rewiri's challenge to gender roles in carving and painting.
When she was a child, she was not allowed to carve, and she challenging it by using paint to portray carving-like imagery
Famous piece depicts mother and child
Darcy Nicholas' art addressing social and land issues significant to Māori, exemplifying activism through art.
Has made pieces abotu Maori land (specifically Shelley Bay)
Lisa Reihana's multimedia works, blending traditional stories with contemporary technologies to create participatory narratives that challenge conventional portrayals of Māori culture.
Commonly produces video work
Often include Maori gods
Traditional ideas with a contemporary make
Utilises performance art which she often records
Reflection on Artistic Language
Importance of Language in Describing Art
Discussion on how terms like "traditional" and "contemporary" create binaries that may diminish the dynamic nature of Māori art. (Albert Wendt: Against Tradition)
Proposal of alternative terms such as "living art" to describe Māori artistic endeavors without boxing them into restrictive categories.
Te Papa now uses this alternative phrasing
Conclusion and Invitation for Further Discussion
Invitation for questions and continued exploration of themes discussed within the lectures.
Information about upcoming art events and opportunities for further engagement with Māori art and artists, emphasizing the ongoing relevance and evolution of Māori art in contemporary society.