MY CHOICE: Te Maari Barham / August 2021
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MY CHOICE: Te Maari Barham / August 2021

Te Maari Barham (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Te Rangi) Registrar at the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui

August 2021: Te Maari Barham

Each month a member of our community is invited to browse our online collection and select six of their favourite artworks. Each My Choice selection, together with personal responses to the works, will be available to view on the Sarjeant Gallery website for one month at a time. The August 2021 My Choice has been selected by Te Maari Barham (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Te Rangi) and is available to view until 31 August 2021.

Te Maari is a Registrar at the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua and māmā to her 3 year old daughter. Outside of the Gallery, Te Maari’s time is split between parenting, studying at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and spending time outside either in the māra or the ngahere.

Te Maari’s Choices:

Sandy Adsett Tane and Tama Uprooted

“I was lucky enough to work closely with this painting not too long ago as I prepared it for outgoing loan for a survey exhibition of Sandy Adsett’s work. This powerful image speaks to colonisation in NZ, particularly the introduction of Christianity and the upheaval of Māori customs including spiritual beliefs and language. Māori still feel the effects of colonisation today and tangata whenua continue to fight for equity on their own land.”

Mervyn Williams Take a Hand Against Racism

“This poster is striking in its bold black, red and white colour scheme. Take a Hand against Racism was created in 1985 as a part of a set of posters produced in response to the 1981 Springbok tour protests. Unfortunately, racism is still prevalent in our communities and this poster is a good reminder that it is everyone’s responsibility to stand up against racism in all its forms.”

Matt Pine Untitled

“This bright and beautiful work by Matt Pine evokes a wonderful childhood memory I have of eating liquorice allsorts with my father. I am unsure of the detail behind this work but I love it nonetheless. Could it be drawings for some fantastical machine? Perhaps a proposal for a grand public sculpture or water feature?”

Erica van Zon Opal Moon

“With the rise of Matariki and Puanga heralding the new year last month I have been looking closely at our early morning skies but also the different phases of our moon and the significance of te maramataka. This work reminds me of a recent trip to the observatory where we spied an almost full moon in all its glory. The surface truly glistened like a precious gemstone.”

Tia Ranginui Untitled

“I love the use of light and shadow in this photograph. Tia Ranginui’s images never fail to draw me in. Her often ethereal, other worldly images speak to me leaving me transfixed. Why is this figure naked and alone, face hidden from view and surrounded by this uninviting plant?”

Matt Pine Pouaki (New Zealand Eagle)

“I have a real soft spot for our native manu. Where I live we are lucky enough to watch kārearea search for prey from our lounge window. A sight which never fails to thrill. This Xerox copy of a pencil drawing formed part of a dome installation at Sarjeant Gallery, Pukenamu and features the extinct pouaki or Haast’s eagle. The largest eagle in the world with a wingspan of up to 3 metres, I’m left pondering the terror I would feel watching these great birds hunt from my lounge window.”

Category
Past exhibitions 2021