THE MODERN TRANSLATION OF TUKUTUKU UNFOLDING VIA THE INFINITE IMAGES OF NEON

As Professor of Maori Visual Arts at Massey University, Robert Jahnke wears many hats… historian, teacher, researcher, writer and advocate for Maori and indigenous arts. But despite his chameleon academic tendencies he is easily recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists. His work is based powerfully and consistently on political issues facing Maori, in particularly the relationship between Maori and European colonisers. “I take elements associated with my research and translate those into exhibitions”. This dynamic can be seen in his research into the evolution of tukutuku and its translation into contemporary art. This led to the creation of a series of neon works on the theme. One of these, Navarro Tukutuku, used text and mirrors to create the illusion of infinite reflections of the word Tuku. Just a small part of a body of research with endless possibilities.

Research at Massey. Solving real-world problems.

Discover more at massey.ac.nz/research