The January 2020 My Choice has been selected by Tia Ranginui, a Gallery Assistant at the Sarjeant Gallery and is available to view until 31st January 2020.
Tia Ranginui (Ngai Hine Oneone) was raised at Koroniti, up the Whanganui River. She is a practising artist working mainly in photography and exploring themes such as feminism, challenging the traditional concept of Tapu, and critiquing the dominant colonial ideologies that Māori have assimilated to.
Tia’s work is represented in the Sarjeant Gallery collection.
My Choice January 2020: Tia Ranginui, Artist and Gallery Assistant, Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui
Click on an image to see further details about the work and artist, and view a large version.
Veil of the Soul – Conor Clarke
“I like the heaviness of the chainmail with the vulnerability of her body and the contrast this creates. I also like the texture of the carpet in the background. Conor is a friend of mine and this image was taken inside an elevator in a building on Ridgeway Street in Whanganui.”
A Serious Girl – Roberta Thornley
“I really like this whole series Roberta did focussing on Milly, a teenager about to leave home and travel overseas. The lighting, the adolescent age and her transition into adulthood. Milly seems so strong for her young age.”
12.45 : C.L – George Krause (1998) silver gelatin print
“This is a portrait of Colleen Lenihan, a photographer and writer who went to art school here in Whanganui. I was inspired by her work when I was younger. I like how strong and defiant she appears compared to the other portraits in this series. I really like the lighting as well, which is from the skylight above the Tylee Cottage stairwell, taken during Krause’s Tylee residency.”
Mervyn Williams on Savage Club Stage – Laurence Aberhart
“I really admire Laurence’s work. Mostly he works in black and white but this one is a bit different because it is actually in colour. I chose it because it has Mervyn Williams in it – he was a friend of my Dad’s – and because it is of the Savage Club – which has always been of interest to me because of its history and the interior displays such a blatant appropriation of Māori culture.”
Crescent Moon – Liyen Chong
“I admire Liyen’s work and this particular image evokes a sci-fi, different and other worldly quality. The moon makes me think of a ‘witchy’ vibe and the sheepskin over her head is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Untitled (Bedroom) from Jerusalem Series – Paul Johns
“This photograph is very nostalgic for me, when I was little I was sent to stay with the nuns at this convent in Hiruharama for holidays to give Mum a break. I remember feeling lonely and a bit scared and homesick when I stayed there but now when I visit it feels like home. The nuns used to take us possum shooting at night. I remember them wearing their full nun habits with shotguns slung over their shoulders. It was my job to shine the torch on the possum while they did the shooting.”
