okaioceanikart gallery promoting works by emerging and established Artists from the Pacific
February 2, 2010
Cavassing the Treaty
78 minute feature documentary
Premieres Maori Television: Waitangi Day February 6th 2010 9.30pm
Six New Zealand artists explore our history and create shared visions for our future
Canvassing the Treaty is a thought provoking and entertaining examination of the Treaty of Waitangi through artists' eyes.
Guided throughout by Ng?puhi, Kaumatua, Kingi Taurua, this engaging project is both an art and social experiment.
Kingi: “The only way forward for us is to understand each other, not that we are one but that we are different, with different protocols. We must learn about the Treaty and the 1835 Declaration of Independence and talk, talk, talk”
We create three pairs of artists of various cultural backgrounds, artistic styles, political perspectives and temperaments. Each pair combines one artist of Maori descent and one artist who is not of Maori descent.
These Tangata Whenua/Tangata Tiriti pairs attend a day long treaty education workshop and one month later, are challenged to create a collaborative artwork in response to the Treaty of Waitangi over the course of a weekend wananga at Te Tii marae in Waitangi.
In preparation for this task, the artists first meet at Pakiri Beach for a one day Treaty of Waitangi workshop delivered by respected Treaty educators Moana Jackson and Ingrid Huygens.
Moana Jackson: “What I hope the stories will do is frame the tipuna way of seeing, the ancestral way that our people saw the Treaty. It's important because most of what has been written about the Treaty and has become the received wisdom is what the Crown has said ….. and yet there are stories that are embedded quite deeply in this land that give a quite different view of the Treaty”
Ingrid Huygens “The project has reaffirmed how important it is for people to go into a relationship with their own authority, expertise and skills …... and being really confident of that and then being really willing to learn from each other and to put the effort in and the trust and openness in – that's when you get real creativity”
During the Treaty Education workshop, the artists were put into their pairs, one tangata whenua artist and one tangata tiriti artist in each pair. Following the workshop, the collaborative process was handed over to the artists. They had one month to discuss the collaborative art work they were planning, before they came back together for a weekend wananga at Te Tii marae in Waitangi to make the work.
At Te Tii marae treaty educators Moana Jackson and Ingrid Huygens were on hand as a resource for the artists, who also learnt about the rohe, the Declaration of Independence and Te Tiriti, from kaumatua Kingi Taurua and others from the marae.
Work commenced on Friday night with the artists facing a Sunday midday deadline to complete their pieces.
The collaboration was a testing proposition for all the pairs, tapping into the learning and emotions stirred up by the Treaty of Waitangi workshops and requiring negotiation with each other to find a shared artistic vision.
The whole process is an obvious metaphor for the principles of partnership embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi and the contemporary challenges of living those principles.
By Saturday it become clear that the three art works were extremely different in themes and execution and the pressure of the deadline kept the artists working late into the night and for some, through the night. By the Sunday deadline one pair had completed their art work, with the two other pairs reluctantly conceding they needed to do further work. The two remaining art works were completed within three weeks of the end of the workshop.
With stunning locations, eclectic artistic visions and provocative discussion,
“Canvassing the Treaty’
offers a fresh look at the legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi, through artists eyes.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: T?manako Productions
DIRECTOR: Jane Reeves
PRODUCER: Kay Ellmers
CONTACT DETAILS: kay@tumanako.co.nz
09 845 1051/0274 899 686
THE ARTISTS: COLLABORATIVE PAIRS
Kura Te Waru Rewiri partners with Dagmar Dyck
Kura Te Waru Rewiri (Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa; Ngati Raukawa ki Kauwhata)
Born in Kaeo in the far north, Kura spent much of her childhood in Waitangi and attended Ilam School of Fine Arts in Christchurch where she gained a Diploma in Fine Arts. Kura has taught art since 1975 in secondary schools, Universities and Whare Wananga.
Kura began painting seriously in 1985 and has held solo exhibitions regularly since then. She is acknowledged as a leading New Zealand painter and her paintings are included in collections held by Te Papa O Tongarewa, the Auckland Art Gallery, the University of Auckland and the National Art Gallery of Australia. Kura's works link political, cultural and spiritual themes relating to Maori and deal with issues such as the Treaty, land rights and Christianity.
“The interesting part of the collaboration has been that I'm looking at the Treaty in a different light – and I think it's about my maturity in terms of acceptance of aspects of the Treaty. Religious connotations in the Treaty document were important for both of us to work with.”
Dagmar Dyck (Tongan/German)
Dagmar is a painter and printmaker of who describes her ethnicity as bringing together two cultural extremes – and New Zealand is the place that brings it all together, the place that is home. Dagmar's work references traditional Tongan ngatu (tapa cloth) as well as other Tongan traditions such as weaving, kava bowls and shell necklaces. . Dagmar has a Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts from the University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts in 1996. She exhibits regularly in New Zealand and Australia.
” I went with my gut feeling about this project. I wanted a clearer understanding of the Treaty also as a mother. I couldn't put a price on being involved in it, it's been a beautiful experience. Kura and I put the emphasis on the relationship and the art work came out of that”
Mike Davison collaborates with Chris Bryant<
Mike Davison (Pakeha)
Mike is a mid career painter who has chosen to make a living in advertising, using images to sell products. But in his own art work he thoughtfully tackles many issues facing Maori and Pakeha New Zealanders today. He has done works inspired by the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and identity is also a theme he keeps coming back to.
“As an artist you can't just give yourself over, you have to have a viewpoint. It's good, interesting and exciting. We've worked out how to make a start and come together in the middle. We've got a good framework for it developing into a collaborative thing.”
Chris Bryant (Ngati Porou/P?keha)
Chris teaches at Toimairangi, Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Hastings. He is an artist, a curator, an art commentator and an art educator. His training was done at Elam School of Fine Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in 1994. He also has a Master of Maori Visual Arts from Te Putahi a Toi – Maori Studies, Massey University. Chris is both a painter and a sculptor and his work is a fusion of traditional and contemporary Toi Maori.
“We've got to get over the guilt, it doesn't get us anywhere. Hopefully we'll create something that marks now and signals where to from here.”
THE ARTISTS: COLLABORATIVE PAIRS
Sofia Minson works with Samapeap Tarr
Sofia Minson (Ngati Porou/Irish/Swedish)
Sofia is a self taught painter and much of her work is inspired by the land and myths of Aotearoa. Through her art work, Sofia has also explored her own M?ori whakapapa. In the past four years Sofia has exhibited in Europe, Turkey, New York and extensively throughout New Zealand. She has exhibited widely and last year she was a finalist in the Adam Portraiture Awards. Sofia is our youngest artist.
“The collaborative process was awesome. I never knew how much fun it could be, how different your art work could look in such a good way …... My work will definitely be affected by this experience. It's opened a door, given me such a good grounding.”
Samapeap Tarr (Cambodian/Pakeha)
Samapeap, known as Peap was born in Auckland but he grew up in many different places and countries. His mother is Cambodian and his father is from Te Awamutu.
Peap is well known in the New Zealand and international hip hop scene,primarily for his use of bold black ink on a blank white medium. His art is intricate and beautiful and reflects the influences of his Cambodian/Pakeha heritage.
“I take away how special this Treaty is and ho
unique to have one. Despite what's happened there'sa chance, maybe one day
New Zealand could be quite united”
