Whakaata - Contemporary Māori Art Prints

We’re proud to promote this exhibition, Whakaata, at Russell Museum in the Bay of Islands.

Whakaata looks to show a connection to a Maori print history. It acknowledges this place, the proximity of Pompallier House with its historic printing press and its role in communication during the time of early contact.

This exhibition presents numerous voices with some of the many Maori artists who have engaged in print and contributed to a Maori understanding of printmaking over the past 60 years. Some of these include: Pauline Yearbury, Marilynn Webb, Cliff Whiting, Toi Te Rito Maihi and Clive Arlidge from this senior generation.

The title Whakaata carries connotations of mirroring, of revealing to light.

The Toi Whakataa Maori print collective based its name on the idea of introducing ink to mark making (as in the process of Taa moko). The collective brings together a dynamic new generation of print makers that are committed to pushing new ideas in the practice. The group was initiated through the support of Te Atinga during its hui-wananga at Rangahaua, Wanganui Regional Polytechnic in 2002.

In 2006 the core group of Toi Whakataa formed, and over the past ten years they have been running wananga that explore what makes Maori printmaking unique. A kaupapa Maori/ wananga approach that takes in whakapapa, matauranga, new technology and innovation has helped shape style, technique and conceptual practice.

Whakaata, the defining concept for the exhibition refers to the ‘AHAA moment’, that action when the paper is lifted; the print is pulled into the light and the reflected image revealed. Here, process and concept are intertwined.

Gabrielle Belz in consultation with Nigel Borell

Te Atinga – Contemporary Maori Visual Arts Committee 2015.