Collective honours Whiting
Fourteen creatives reflect his work in latest exhibition
Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom’s latest exhibition To Catch a Falling Star, Hopukia te whetu¯ rere opens tomorrow and shows till March 22. It is a thought-provoking show by Te Awahou Collective designed as a spiritual interpretation of the work by the late Dr Cliff Whiting, an internationally renowned artist, esteemed teacher and practitioner of Ma¯ ori arts. Whiting made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand arts and culture over a career spanning more than 50 years in the fields of art education, art administration, marae building and renovation. He was also the mastermind behind the traditional and contemporary marae Rongomaraeroa at Te Papa Tongarewa. Under the guidance of Albert McCarthy, the Te Awahou Collective, 14 local artists, will come together for a two-month exhibition showcasing their interpretations of his mahi. Varied styles, techniques, disciplines and backgrounds (painting, sculpture, carving, weaving, photography, illustration and digital) have been assembled for this special showing. Artists featured in the unique exhibition include: Albert McCarthy: An internationally recognised artist and Te Awahou Collective creator. A contemporary sculptor, painter, and carver working in multiple mediums and techniques. Gary Whiting: An artist and educator who has participated in numerous collective exhibitions throughout the land, he has work held in national and international collections. Meredith Marsone: A professional artist with an extensive national and international exhibition history. A contemporary figurative painter, Meredith has a unique and distinctive style.
Steve Leurink: With a background in art education and art practice ‘commercial and fine art’, Steve’s work through painting, technique and imagery explores a perspective of life cycle and energy.
Jenn Tonumaipe’a Farrell-Taylor: Jenn uses tatau (tattoo), sculpture, uku (clay), illustration and painting to pay homage to her roots and to Mana Whenua.
Phillip Andrews: An artist and educator working across traditional and digital spaces. His current artwork series employs a strong graphic flavour utilising a bold colour palette. Miho Tsumakura: A photographer, NZIPP award winner and digital artist employing an orchestrated mix of camera shot imagery, Japanese aesthetic and compositing.
Tracy Underwood: With a deep regard for ma¯ tauranga Ma¯ ori and other esoteric traditions, Tracey conveys her insights through her innovative sculptural approach with flax, clay and wood within a contemporary art context. Sherilyn Vilela: A multi-media artist, Sherilyn works in 2D and 3D juxtaposing ideas, objects, humour and colour to reflect on her interpretation of topics that often scream for attention. She draws on inspiration from nature with a focus on our societal impact upon the environment.
Walter James Kupa: Using recycled wood, vinyl records and metal, Walter reconditions designs, ideas and concepts to retell old stories and concepts in a contemporary world.
Warwick Smith: Warwick’s mahi features portraits of greatgrandparents with their greatgrandchildren, seeking to show that even with our differences we have a lot more similarities. Matty Green: Matty came to art through their love of music and musical instruments. This, and their upbringing in Aotearoa, inspired their mahi focused on taonga puoro (traditional Ma¯ ori musical instruments) and whakairo (carving). Leala Faleseuga: A multidisciplinary artist based in the Horowhenua, Leala uses photography, alternative processing, analogue-digital cycles and painting, audio-visual work, installation and writing. Wouna le Roux: Wouna’s work explores the theme of liminality – the in-between or middle phase of rites of passage that we go through in various transformative stages in our lives, such as adolescence, marriage and motherhood.
John Bradley: Born in Nelson, John, a photographer and artist, is now living in Foxton. John has been awarded The New Zealand Operational Service Medal (NZOSM) New Zealand Defence Service Medal, New Zealand General Service Medal. He worked at Treasury NZ for 35 years, he’s an NZRJA national and international journalist and LRPS photographer.