Kete Aronui : Returning Fine Arts To Maori Television
The beautiful and unique world of Maori art is set to return to grace New Zealand television screens as art series KETE
ARONUI premieres its second series on Maori Television, starting on Wednesday February 16 at 9.30 PM.
KETE ARONUI is a 13-part series that highlights three Maori artists each episode from a diverse range of fields – from
whakairo (carving) and raranga (weaving) right through to the more contemporary art forms such as graffiti art, glass
work, photography, performance, DJ work and multi-media.
Last year, Maori Television viewers feasted on the sumptuous offerings from the likes of ceramic artist Manos Nathan,
passionate carver O’Dell Toi and seasoned songstress Whirimako Black. This season’s line up for KETE ARONUI continues in
the tradition of bringing to the fore established and emerging artists during each thematic episode.
Kicking off the series is well-established, Tolaga Bay-born artist John Walsh. John’s surreal use of images of animals
and birds to depict human images in his art works is unparalleled and his unconventional approach to acknowledging
ancient Maori myth and legend is a deliberate retreat from his audience’s expectations.
“I think that a way into the other world is to look with fresh eyes at the past. Even though the ancient world is a
universe away from how we live now, most Maori would like to believe that we are still connected to the other world
through our relationship with the ancestors.”
Also featuring in the first episode is the emerging jazz whakapapa coming out of Northcote College on Auckland’s North
Shore. For the past five years, the college’s jazz musicians have earned the school both national and international
awards and the school has established a rapport with the international jazz community by bringing in musicians to work
alongside the school’s budding musos. It seems jazz is back and thriving in the new emerging generation at Northcote
College.
Rounding off the premiere episode is Lawrence Pook, whose work looks at the influences of the Treaty of Waitangi. His
expressions examine some of the icons that were brought with the English and he has since taken those images and
incorporated them to reflect how Maori have now become a significant influence of them.
In upcoming episodes, KETE ARONUI will also visit with prolific carver George Nuku, traditional weaver Kelly King, the
Auckland City Council-initiated Mana Moko art studio, choral genius Charles Panapa and many more.
KETE ARONUI launches its second series on Maori Television on Wednesday February 16 at 9.30 PM.