April 24, 2013
Suter Gallery upsets primitive art tag
An exhibition at Nelson’s Suter Art Gallery contrasts the way contemporary Maori artists use modernism with the primitivist themes in some contemporary Pakeha art.
Curator Anna-Marie White says the "gnarly grunge" style of the Pakeha artists in Kaihono Ahua/Vision Mixer contrasts with the polished and dignified style of the Maori artists chosen.
It is set up as separate but linked exhibitions in adjacent galleries, to reflect the principles of biculturalism, while inverting the historical attribution of Maori as 'primitive' and Pakeha as 'modern'.
Kaihono Ahua includes Brett Graham’s Mihaia, carved replica of a Russian armoured scout vehicle, which he first built for the Sydney Biennale as a way to reflect on government attacks on Maori communities, including the 2007 Tuhoe raid.
There are carved sperm whale teeth by Rangi Kipa, a video animation by Rangituhia Hollis, and other works by Robert Jahnke, Lyonel Grant, Ngatai Taepa, and Israel Birch.
Vision Mixer features the late Don Driver, Philip Trusttum, Terry Urbahn, Dan Arps, Rohan Wealleans and Campbell Patterson.