Jamie Berry A.E.I.O.U (Akona Te Reo) 2021. Single-channel karaoke video; 3 min, 58 sec. Written and performed by Moana and the Moahunters. Courtesy of the
artist, Moana Maniapoto and Blackpearl Ltd.
The newest exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū has some of Aotearoa’s leading Māori artists
embracing moving image – from slick animation to 16mm film, with an unexpected dose of karaoke.
Māori Moving Image ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū, open from 4 June – 16 October 2022, champions recent moving image art made by generations of Māori artists that puts
Māori history, lived experience and radical hope at its centre.
Co-curated by Bridget Reweti and Melanie Oliver, this exhibition is a rich gathering of works that explore time,
politics, language and place, with several new commissions among them.
“Māori Moving Image ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū brings together 16mm film, digital animation and 4K video, so there’s a huge variety of look and feel, and a range of
creative perspectives on different issues important to Māori,” Ms Oliver says.
“A lot of what’s covered is not what you’d expect – we have subject matter ranging from World War II to the tīwakawaka
bird to shoe designer Christian Louboutin.
“The exhibition is a unique alignment of forms and concepts of toi ataata – visual art – with those of ngā mahi a rēhia
– performance art.”
In a Gallery first, visitors will be able to enjoy five of the works through the medium of karaoke – with a special
niche set aside in the exhibition space where people can sing along to beloved tracks by Māori recording artists, set to
visuals created by Māori visual artists. Taking place under a glittering disco “Pāuaball” by Terri Te Tau, this project
has been developed in partnership with The Dowse Art Museum.
"Karaoke allows you as the singer to bring your own connection to a song, adding some personal flair, inflection and
sweet dance moves to the performance,” Ms Oliver says.
Māori Moving Image ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū showcases the work of emerging talents and celebrated favourites: Shannon Te Ao, Luther Ashford, Jamie Berry, Robert
George, Sarah Hudson, Ana Iti, Jeremy Leatinu’u, Nova Paul, Nathan Pōhio, Louise Pōtiki Bryant, Rachael Rakena, Lisa
Reihana, Kahurangiariki Smith, Suzanne Tamaki, Terri Te Tau and Kauri Wharewera.
Alongside the exhibition, the Gallery is also launching a beautifully designed new book Māori Moving Image that includes essays and interviews with several major artists. It looks at concepts of whakapapa, whenua and
whanaungatanga. Available from the Design Store located at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and book
retailers nationwide.