November 07, 2022
Cotton shows things behind the sun
Artist Shane Cotton says it’s great to be able to present his work to a Māori audience.
His latest show, Kei muri nga mea i te ra – Things behind the sun, is now on show at the Wairau Maori Art Gallery in Whangarei’s Hundertwasser Art Centre.
He says many Maori feel hesitant to walk into galleries, but Wairau is a space Maori should feel confident to come to.
He describes the show as experimental, finding new uses for traditional elements like tiki and kowhaiwhai.
“I’m always trying to find ways where I re-present those traditional customary things but they do it in a contemporary way, so that is the challenge for me and it’s not so much to do with the audience – it’s really about me trying to come to terms with those narratives myself and finding a means through those traditional forms to present those stories or those ideas,” Cotton says.
Kei muri nga mea i te ra is on show until the end of February.