Past Exhibitions

Evelyn Dunstan - Ngahere Karana (Forest Crown #4)

Gail Edmonds
To have is to hold

Pat Long

Pat Long

Lee Brogan, Bombora, Overall Winner 2008

Layla Walter, Kokako, Creative Excellence Award 2008

Hihita and Hoani: Missionaries in Tuhoeland

Duration: Sun 13th July – Fri 15th August 2008

Exhibition highlights Presbyterian missionaries and Tūhoe histories. Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery will host a five-week exhibition entitled Hihita and Hoani: Missionaries in Tuhoeland, which coincides with the premiere of Vincent Ward’s film The Rain of the Children. Both of these cultural events focus on the Urewera Ranges and the isolated settlements of Ruatāhuna and Maungapohatu, home to Rua Kenana and his followers.

Hihita & Hoani: Missionaries in Tuhoeland, celebrates the lives of two well-known Presbyterian missionaries to Tūhoe, Sister Annie Henry (Hihita) and Reverend John George Laughton (Hoani). According to the exhibition curator Karl Chitham, this is one of the largest collection based exhibitions that the Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery has hosted in recent years.

Both missionaries were gifted many valuable and ancient taonga by Ngāi Tūhoe in appreciation for their many years of service in the Urewera. Some of the taonga that will be featured in the exhibition include a gourd, which is thought to have arrived aboard the Mataatua waka from Hawaiki in 1350; a Kiwi feather cloak belonging to Te Kooti, a beautifully carved clock originally intended for King George V and a muka cloak belonging to Rua Kenana’s son Toko, who was shot and killed in the police raid on Maungapohatu in 1916. The exhibition will also feature a flag called ‘Rua Tupua’ which was created by the people of Gisborne in anticipation of Rua Kenana’s arrival in the early 1900’s. The three metre flag is on loan from Aniwaniwa Doc Centre in Waikaremoana.

In preparation for the exhibition, museum staff travelled to Ruatāhuna, Maungapohatu and Waikaremoana to visit these historic sites and meet the people who originally owned the taonga to seek their blessings for the exhibition. Accompanying the staff were a group of kaumatua from Te Aka Puaho (the Presbyterian Māori synod) led by the Rev. Wayne Te Kaawa, who says: “I wanted the museum staff to go out and meet the people on their marae. It proved to be a worthwhile and emotional experience. The people and the taonga go together and should not be separated”.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a 32 page publication which tells the stories of Hihita & Hoani during the many years they spent living and working with the communities of the Urewera. The publication features two essays by Rev. Wayne Te Kaawa, a timeline of events covered by the exhibition and numerous images from the collections of the Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery. According to the exhibition curator Karl Chitham, “This exhibition and publication are a way for the Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery to pay tribute to two significant individuals. Their contribution to Tūhoe and many other communities has been overwhelming and we would like to recognise this.”

The opening ceremonies for the exhibition will commence with a powhiri, on Sat 12th July at 10am. This will be followed by light refreshments. The Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery wishes all those attending to please RSVP by July 4th.

During the exhibition a number of notable speakers will give public lectures on aspects of Tūhoe culture and history, including acclaimed historian Professor Judith Binney, author of Mihaia, Nga Morehu and Redemption Songs. Professor Binney will speak on ‘Untold Stories: When the elders tell their stories’.

For further information contact: Karl Chitham Programme & Education Co-ordinator Whakatāne District Museum and Gallery 07 306 0517 (DDI) 07 306 0505 (Reception) karlc@whakatane.govt.nz
or Rev Wayne Te Kaawa 07 322 9228 (hm) 07 308 5059 (wk) wtekaawa@nettel.net.nz

The Real Art Roadshow

Duration: 7th - 11th July 2008

The Real Art Roadshow, a marvellous mobile exhibition of original work by more than 60 leading New Zealand artists will be available to Whakatane arts lovers from 7 – 11 July.  Housed in a huge truck, the Real Art Roadshow literally unfolds to form a 64 square metre art gallery, which will be “parked” in Peace Park, beside the Whakatane District Museum & Gallery in Boon Street.

Works on display represent a diverse range of paintings and drawings from New Zealand artists such as: Philip Clairmont, Don Binney, Jacqueline Fahey, Dick Frizzell, Tony Fomison, Bill Hammond, Milan Mrkusich, John Reynolds, Michael Illingworth, Toss Woollaston, Maryrose Crook, Saskia Leek, Andrew McLeod and Kelcy Taratoa.

A short essay accompanying each work, written by New Zealand’s leading art commentators adds to the experience.

Whakarereketanga - a textile and raranga installation by Mark Sykes

Duration:
31 May - 4th July 2008

Whakarereketanga catalogue (pdf 285KB)

Whakarereketanga – Transitions – is a contemporary textile and raranga installation by Mark Sykes. This exhibition, which traces the transition in customary Maori clothing traditions, references the way in which the blanket was adopted by Maori as a form of dress. The installation has been displayed to symbolise the layout of a wharenui (meeting house).

A small publication has been produced for this exhibition and is available free for the duration of the show. Sykes also gave a very well attended public lecture.

Got it Sussed

Got it Sussed features the work of 7 contemporary Maori artists who explore themes of popular culture. The exhibition presents works in diverse media including rugby balls, neon lights, reflective roadsigns and t-shirts. With subject matter that reflects imagery and ideas from contemporary culture both imported and local. Each person has an individual catalogue which is free for the duration of the exhibition and will be sold as a set when the show closes. The Whakatane District Museum and Gallery also presented a series of public talks and art workshops in conjunction with the exhibition.

Got it sussed lecture series. As part of the Got it sussed exhibition the Whakatane Museum & Gallery hosted a series of public artist talks. These talks were very well attended and gave those present an insight to the ideas and processes used by the speakers in their art practice. The series included talks by Zena Elliott, a Te Teko local now based in Hamilton, Manu Scott, an Auckland artist now based in Ngaruawahia, and Karl Chitham, also an Auckland artist now based in Whakatane.

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taku tuhoetana - Aimee Ratana

Duration: 19th April – 25th May 2008

taku tuhoetana is a contemporary photographic installation by photographer Aimee Ratana. Being of Tuhoe descent, Ratana has produced a significant body of works which explore the rich histories of iwi, hapu and whanau. These new works will be exhibited alongside Tuhoe images from the photographic archives of the Whakatane District Museum & Gallery. Ratana is also keen to show the importance photography now holds within Maori culture, both as a physical reminder of the past and also as an ongoing record of the present.

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Tangi - Rona Ngahuia Osborne

Duration: 19th April – 25th May 2008

Haki (flags) take on a life of their own when raised to the sky. They identify who we are, where we are from, our needs, our intentions, they transcend spoken language. Te Kooti used many such flags freely, adopting the symbols imported by the christian church and imbuing them with new meaning. This exhibition by textile and multi media artist Rona Ngahuia Osborne features works which explore the myriad of meanings associated with the haki. In a district with a long history of conflict, Whakatane is well placed to host an exhibition which is both softly spoken and sympathetic to the issues of change.

Whakatāne: A Photographic History

Duration: 8th March – 13th April 2008

Having recently returned from a successful showing at the Kamagaya City Museum, Japan; Whakatāne: A Photographic History celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the signing of a Sister City Agreement in 1997. In October 2007 the exhibition travelled to Kamagaya with a group of students from Trident High School. The exhibition was very well received and plans are already underway for an exhibition of photographs from Kamagaya to be shown here in October this year.

Beginning in the 1870’s when photography was a recent introduction to the district the photographs in Whakatāne: A Photographic History show how the landscape, people and past-times have changed over the period of 100 years. All of the images in this exhibition are from the Whakatāne District Museum and Gallery photographic collections.

Arts & Culture Manager Ray Thorburn says “we are overjoyed to be able to show off some of the fantastic images from our collections”.

Programme & Education Co-ordinator Karl Chitham says “we are extremely grateful to the Whakatane Sister Cities Committee for giving us this opportunity”.  

Uncle Tasman - The Trembling Current That Scars The Earth

Duration: 8th March – 13th April 2008

Uncle Tasman is a beautiful and moving video installation by photomedia artist Natalie Robertson. The installation documents many significant sites around Robertson’s hometown of Kawerau that have been irreversibly damaged by local industry, including the ever controversial Tasman Pulp & Paper Mill.

Robertson is adamant that her work “is not trying to capture and expose environmental abuses, but to record the few remnants remaining of what once was.”

As part of this project Robertson has also recorded stories by those that have grown up and live in the area. These oral histories describe the enormous sense of loss that changes to the landscape have brought about. The work includes personal accounts of the complete devastation to places of importance for local Maori especially Lake Rotoitipaku, which is now completely filled with industrial waste.

Programme and Education Co-ordinator Karl Chitham says “We are excited to be able to present an installation of this quality, which is not only visually stunning but contains stories and issues of enormous significance to local communities”.

Natalie Robertson has established herself as a significant figure in the New Zealand art scene for her innovative interpretation of aspects of New Zealand’s history. Robertson, who originally trained in topographical Draughting, is fascinated with the way in which land is mapped, defined and occupied. This interest has also led to an exploration of Maori and pakeha conceptions of land.

The artist will be attending the opening event along with a number of individuals who participated in the making of the work.

For further information please contact the following:

Natalie Robertson
For any information about the installation and its content.
021 289 9812
natalie.robertson@aut.ac.nz

Colleen Skerrett White
For information related to Kawerau land claims or Rotoitipaku Lake.
(07) 323 7218

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Misty Frequencies

26th Jan – 2nd Mar 2008

As the Che Fu song suggests Misty Frequencies are smooth-sounding with a fresh, funky vibe. This curated exhibition highlights slick and stylee artworks from New Zealand and international artists including Andrew Mcleod, Sarah Munroe, Kim Meek, Jonathan Brown, Trust Me, Dieneke Jansen and Eric Orr. Misty Frequencies features works ranging from low-tech stencil graffiti to high-resolution digital photography, and carved greenstone to hot-rod finished fibre-glass.

Tautoko

10th Nov – 13th Jan 2008

New Zealand has had a tense association with the museum and an even more uncomfortable relationship with the idea of collections. Through trade, exchange, confiscation and collusion many of this country’s treasures have found their way into public and private collections both here and internationally.

As a response, many artists from as early as the 1920’s have tried to understand the sense of wonder that the museum and collections hold for the public. Some have tried to describe the enigma of the collection by developing their own museological approaches to the world around them. Others make these references in more subtle ways.

Each of the artists in Tautoko, engage with ideas of tradition, culture and the layers of history inherent in museological practice. They have developed individual taxonomies which reflect their own interests and ideas.  With works by Nick Eagles, Paulus McKinnon, Toni Mackinnon, Rangi Kipa, Fiona Pardington, Rachel Bell, Warwick Freeman and Gina Matchitt, Tautoko engages with the potential for museums and their collections to collaborate with and support the presentation of contemporary art and concepts.

Te Wheiao: A digital Installation by Craig Kurei Matenga-Moni

10th Nov – 13th Jan 2008

Te Wheiao is a term widely used in karakia (prayer) to describe a transition from one realm or state to another as in, from darkness to light, from unconsciousness to consciousness, and from birth until death. Because our universe and everything in it, is in a constant state of flux one could therefore conclude that we are constantly in a transitive state, or in Te Wheiao.

Early Mäori used aspects of their natural environment to denote universal phenomena and principles. An example of this is karakia that describes the cycle of life. Using the growth of a tree as an example the karakia would relate the trees cycle from it’s germination as a seed through to its maturity and finally it’s inevitable death.

The cycle of life is also denoted in the structure of a whare tipuna (meeting house). The poutahuhu (front post) at the front of the whare marks the beginning of a life cycle and goes on down the length of the tahuhu (roof centre beam) to the poutuarongo (end post) at the rear of the whare, which represents death.

Te Wheiao relates the transition periods as elements of a cycle. There is no beginning and no end as all cycles are infinite. Each of the whare (houses) depicted in the installation have motifs and patterns related to a te wheiao karakia. This work communicates a number of conceptual and spiritual dimensions, however ultimately it is the viewer what each transition means to them.

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The Livlif Project

18th August – 30th September 2007

This solo exhibition featured works created entirely from 1480 bras donated by breast cancer survivors and supporters throughout New Zealand. The major work was a stunning wall installation of 668 survivors’ bras. Lambert had also painstakingly hand-sewn hundreds of supporters’ bras into sculptural forms that celebrate strength, courage and new beginnings.
Lambert celebrated her tenth anniversary as a breast cancer survivor in November 2004. It was this milestone that prompted her to plan LIVLIF. Lambert says “I wanted the show to be a life affirming celebration”.
Cancer Society Centre’s throughout the country enthusiastically collected bras on Lynne's behalf. Breast Cancer Network (NZ) helped her reach the wider community, as did numerous media including TV news. Lynne also set up a website. The support snowballed as word spread wider and wider.
Between February and June 2004 Lynne travelled throughout the country to speak to breast cancer support groups. "I met many wonderful women," she recalled, "All with a very positive attitude and a desire to make the most of life. Those visits were a special part of the project."
Lynne has exhibited regularly in solo and group exhibitions since 1996. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Christchurch Art Gallery. Lynne won a merit award in the 2002 NCC Recycled Art Awards and was a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards the same year.

Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Awards: Glass

6 October – 4 November 2007

In the last years of his life Frank H. Canaday of New York made a number of gifts to the New Zealand arts community. In most if not all cases these gifts went to trusts created in memory of Molly Morpeth Canaday, Frank¹s first wife.

The Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Award has been established as an annual event to encourage and recognise excellence in creativity and craftsmanship in the area of three-dimensional art.

In 2007 we aim to encourage and promote excellence in glass design and craftsmanship. In years to come other media may be chosen, but always with a three-dimensional focus.

This year we had the pleasure of hosting an international judge who is recognised throughout Australasia and America as an expert in applied and decorative arts. Grace Cochrane, former senior curator of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney joins us as the inaugural judge of our new Glass focus for the Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Awards. 

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“Caring For Our Land” An Exhibition and Auction

20 July – 11th August 2007

The Eastern Bay of Plenty branch of Forest and Bird held an art auction as a fundraiser for existing and new projects.

As part of their ongoing work to protect our local landscape, Forest and Bird volunteers participate in numerous ecological projects around the Eastern Bay of Plenty district. This work includes the conservation, regeneration and protection of marine reserves, wetlands and significant cultural areas.

To help them continue this important work for our community Forest and Bird have organised an exhibition of local artists’ paintings and works on paper which will then be auctioned to the public. Many of the artists involved generously donated works to the event in support of the amazing work that Forest and Bird carry out.

Whakatane Society of Arts & Crafts Exhibition 2007

5th June – 15th July 2007

The Whakatane Society of Arts and Crafts was established over 20 years ago. The society has a significant number of discipline specific groups which contribute to the creative mix of ideas and mediums employed by its members.

This year the exhibition once again highlights the diversity and talents of the various Society members. The exhibition includes paintings in a variety of media, wood turning, textiles, ceramics and decoupage. Many of the works demonstrate a flare for experimentation which is part of the Society’s focus for this exhibition.

Ko Tawa: Taonga from our Ancestral Landscapes

10 March - 20 May 2007

Ko Tawa is the name Maori bestowed on a remarkable man, more famously known as Captain Gilbert Mair.  As a linguist, soldier, Court Assessor and humanitarian, tribal communities of the central North Island of New Zealand presented Mair with some of their most valued taonga – ancestral treasurers. Having grown up amongst Maori, Mair understood the importance of receiving such gifts.  He ensured the associated narratives remained attached after passing them into the safe-keeping of the Auckland Museum in 1890.

Consequently, each taonga in the Ko Tawa exhibition (selected from Mair’s collection of 247) continues to carry a unique story, intimately linking today’s descendants to ancestral landscapes and reminding us of the rich, genealogically-deep history on which our nation is built.  Ko Tawa was designed to bridge present and past: to make these unique taonga accessible to Maori living away from their home-marae communities, while providing all visitors with an insight into the contemporary world of the Maori.

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The Terraces: Drawings of the Pink and White Terraces by Rod Eales

25 November 2006 – 14 January 2007

Until the Tarawera eruption of 1886, New Zealand’s worst natural disaster on record, the Pink and White Terraces were widely considered to be the eighth wonder of the world. Artist Rod Eales has responded to this loss by creating a suite of drawings which document and celebrate these natural wonders.

During the late 19th Century, the area around Mount Tarawera became known to European visitors for its high spouting geysers and hot springs.  People travelled from around the world to view the Pink and White Terraces, and to bathe in their warm soothing mineral pools. It was New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction. Eales has references this in her work by taking her imagery from the numerous photographs and paintings of the terraces created before the 1886 eruption.

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