Te Uru Presents A Living Archive Of Māori Art

A second iteration of the exhibition Māori Moving Image, which examines photographs, texts and oral histories, will be presented at Te Uru in Titirangi this winter. The exhibition will portray the resilience and continuation of mātauranga Māori through a selection of artists exploring ‘the archive’ in their practice.

In this latest iteration at Te Uru, curators Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) and Melanie Oliver (Pākehā) will bring together new commissions from Ōtautahi based artist Nathan Pōhio (Waitaha, Kati Mamoe, Kai Tahu) and Te-Whanganui-a-Tara based artist Ana Iti (Te Rarawa) with a work from Tāmaki Makaurau based artist Jeremy Leatinu'u (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Hāmoa).

“We are pleased to bring this project to Te Uru,” says Te Uru Director, Andrew Clifford. “It continues our exploration of the role of Māori artists working with moving image techniques, and follows on from Te Uru’s 2018 touring exhibition, From the Shore, which looked at the legacy of pioneering filmmakers Merata Mita and Barry Barclay, and their continued influence on contemporary artists, as well as our recent solo exhibition with Shannon Te Ao.”

First shown at The Dowse Art Museum and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū in 2019, Māori Moving Image: An Open Archive explored the history of Māori artists who have used animation, film and video as a medium from the 1970s to today. Very much a living archive, this project is an opportunity to collect stories, create new relationships and find connections between artists.

“Overlooking Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa, Jeremy Leatinu'u locates Tainui histories; Nathan Pōhio honours the mountain Maukatere; and Ana Iti highlights the importance of publishing for Māori political aspirations.” Say exhibition co-curators, Bridget Reweti and Melanie Oliver. “Together these artists ask us to consider the expansiveness of our histories and question who is making our archives for the future.”

Māori Moving Image ki Te Uru will be open at Te Uru from 12 June to 29 August 2021, and will then be presented at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū.

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