June 28, 2023
Indigenous response to water makes powerful art
The relationships indigenous peoples have with water is the subject of a new exhibition drawing together the work of 20 indigenous artist from Aotearoa, Australia and Canada.
Naadohbii: To Draw Water opens at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua on Saturday,
Performance and video artist Jeremy Leatinu’u from Tamaki Makaurau says versions of the exhibition have already been shown in Winnipeg and Melbourne.
He says the curators asked the artists to explore issues like traditional practices, the politics of water sovereignty and how peole relate to their immediate environment.
“It’s an opportunity to maybe connect with your own thinking, your own perspective towards water and its importance to you or your whanau or to us all. It might be an opportunity to expand your knowledge or what you know about the different practices that exist in relation to water,” Leatinu’u says.
Naadohbii: To Draw Water runs at Pataka until the end of October, and there will be an artists’ talk this Saturday.