ART EXHIBITION
Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Maori Art.
Between conception and realisation of Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, there have been four years of fine-tuning by Nigel Borell (Pirirākau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea). With the show being the biggest in the 132-year history of New Zealand’s largest art institution, it’s quite the accomplishment for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki’s curator of Māori Art. The exhibition brings together the most significant Māori artists of the past 70 years – from early icons such as Ralph Hotere and Arnold Manaaki Wilson, to established stars of today’s art scene including Michael Parekowhai and Lisa Reihana, to the ones to watch, Hiria Anderson and Ayesha Green being just two.
Aotearoa New Zealand is long overdue for a show of this kind, with the last survey exhibition of contemporary Māori art taking place nearly 20 years ago. Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art comprises more than 300 artworks by 111 artists, which should indicate that the exhibition is a rich and comprehensive examination of the contemporary
Māori art movement. But Borell has aimed to turn the typical survey show on its head by prioritising a Māori narrative throughout Toi Tū Toi Ora. “We’ve privileged a Māori world view as the first conversation and the fine arts conversation is the secondary element,” he explains. Key to this was Borell’s presenting the show according to the Māori creation story, with spaces dedicated to each stage of the narrative and works placed together according to how they philosophically align with the ideas explored.
TOI STORY
Starting with Te Kore (the great nothingness), the works that open the exhibition all contemplate being and non-existence in diverse ways that play off each other when brought together. This is then followed by Te Pō (the darkness). “Within darkness there are the murmurings of movement and shadow and form, we’ve really taken artistic licence with that idea and applied it to the works that you see in this room,” Borell explains. Next up is the separation of Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother) before visitors enter Te Ao
Mārama (the world of light and life). “As the curator you sometimes take a little bit of creative licence with how you present ideas that speak to you and you hope they will speak to a wider audience as well,” says Borell.
One of the special things about presenting the show around the Māori creation narrative is that it allows artists of different generations whose works explore similar concepts to sit alongside each other. “They can be connected by their belief in those ideas as philosophical ways of seeing the world,” says Borell. “So the exhibition is working on a range of levels to show the things that artists have in common, to speak back to how art histories often framed a certain way of thinking about art, and in this case, the culture is really framing the art as opposed to the other way around.”
Borell explains that Toi Tū Toi Ora has the footprint of around six large exhibitions at Auckland Art Gallery, and it’s made up of a number of works that had been on his wish list
“IT FEELS REALLY TIMELY THAT WE’RE ABLE TO FOCUS ON OUR OWN STORIES.”
NIGEL BORELL
since he started conceptualising the show. “We’ve been really lucky with the loans that have been made available and that we’ve been able to secure for the show,” he says.
“The show’s been an awesome opportunity to unearth really special works that are in private collections that aren’t often seen.” But Toi Tū Toi Ora serves another important purpose in that it allows recent generations of Māori artists to exhibit together in a survey show.
Borell knows firsthand how significant it can be for an emerging artist to be included in a show like Toi Tū Toi Ora. “I was an artist before I was a curator and I was lucky enough to be part of the group that was in the last two survey shows,” says Borell. “For me as a young artist, it was a real leg up and an endorsement of my work, and a recurring opportunity to maintain that visibility in collections and within the New Zealand art world. So with a 20-year gap in between, it’s been really rewarding to create that opportunity for two more generations of younger artists and enable their work to be seen widely through a show like this. I’m sure it will have positive consequences for their own visibility but also their ongoing contribution to the New Zealand art scene.”
NEW UNVEILINGS
In addition to showcasing existing works, Toi Tū Toi Ora is set to see new pieces both unveiled and created. Works by a number of artists will be shown for the first time; plus major new site-specific commissions are being unveiled, including works by Emily Karaka, Ana Iti, Reuben Paterson, Sandy Adsett, Mata Aho Collective in collaboration with Maureen Lander, and more. “There’s lots of really sophisticated, clever storytelling by artists and sometimes you just need to give them the template and then stand back and let them do their thing,” says Borell. “They’re all rising to the challenge and loving the idea of being able to tell their stories.”
Borell adds that the gallery staff also rose to the challenge of putting together such an immense show, despite the hurdles the year has presented. With the international shows planned by Auckland Art Gallery this year being cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to COVID, it’s been all hands on deck for Toi Tū Toi Ora. “For everyone to have been a part of shaping this moment in our history has been very special,” says Borell. Needless to say, it was never the plan to host Toi Tū Toi Ora during a pandemic. But it’s the perfect show for a time when we are appreciating everything that Aotearoa has to offer.
“It feels really timely that we’re able to focus on our own stories,” Borell says. “And it feels like a real gift to be able to spend time looking at our own rich cultural history.”
Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art. 5 December 2020 - 9 May 2021. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki