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| Matakana Pictures Exhibitions Artists |
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Solaris 17.December 2005 - 5.February 2006 A decade ago, I journeyed with my 90-year old maternal grandfather David Hughes, back to the home of his childhood, Port Awanui, on the East Cape of Te Ika a Maui. Clearly delighted to revisit his homelands, Granddad stood on the beach telling stories, using his tokotoko, the walking stick that is an important part of an orator’s tools. At the turn of last century, Port Awanui was the largest port on the East Coast. My great-great grandfather was a trader, married to a local Ngati Porou woman and his eldest daughter ran one of the trading stores at the Port. These images depict Omaewa, the land where the store once was, and where my grandfather was raised. Once the advent of the motor vehicle led to widespread road transportation, the Port became defunct and there is no longer any road access nor permanent occupants. In earlier times, Omaewa was part of a paa and was a summer fishing and shark-drying camp. Omaewa and other lands here remain in family hands, as a part of our Ngati Porou whenua. These images were printed for the exhibition, 100 Years, TRUE Every Word, held at McNamara Gallery on the occasion of Granddad’s 100th birthday, last October 2004. Granddad died at 96. I camp at Omaewa over the summer. Over the past decade Natalie has been making photographic and moving image works that contest colonial survey mapping practices. Recently she has been creating moving image works that explore oral storytelling through moteatea [traditional chant], waiata [song] and korero [talk]. Of Ngati Porou descent, Natalie is a trustee and acts as a kaitiaki (guardian) of Maori land blocks on the East Coast of New Zealand. Natalie Robertson is the Programme Co-ordinator for Maori Art and Design in the Faculty of Maori Development, Te Ara Poutama and the School of Art and Design at Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Natalie has exhibited extensively in public institutions throughout Australasia and internationally and her work is held in significant public collections. |
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Natalie Robertson 21. Omaewa, Port Awanui, 1995 Price: $2200 |
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Natalie Robertson 22. Pohautea te Maunga, 1995 Price: $2200 |
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Natalie Robertson 23. Waiapu te Awa, 1995 Price: $2200 |
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