A rare look at New Zealand’s best contemporary Māori carvers
Nathan Foote, E Tu Tiki.
Rotorua Museum is excited to open a ground-breaking Māori carving exhibition on Sunday [20 October].
Matatoki - Contemporary Māori Carving features the work of some of New Zealand's most internationally-recognised contemporary Māori carvers.
The concept behind this exhibition was to highlight talented contemporary carvers who have trained in Rotorua. However, as the exhibition developed the concept widened to give audiences the opportunity to see creations by Māori carvers whose work is in high demand by international galleries and private collectors and rarely seen in its homeland.
Rotorua Museum art curator Karl Chitham and Waiariki Institute of Technology carver and lecturer Eugene Kara co-curated Matatoki.
Mr Chitham says he was excited to showcase the incredible skill and diversity of art being produced by these talented carvers.
Matatoki displays over 40 works by 11 of New Zealand carvers. It traverses the mediums of stone, pounamu, wood and cast aluminium and explores themes of ngā tikanga tuku iho (Maori concepts from the past), cross-cultural collaboration and European philosophy.
On opening day (Sunday 20 October), Rotorua Museum will host a panel discussion featuring some of the artists whose work is on display.
Starting at 11am and led by Karl Chitham, the panel of Lewis Gardiner, Ian-Wayne Grant, Simon Lardelli, Todd Couper and Fayne Robinson will discuss aspects of contemporary carving in New Zealand. The audience will have the opportunity to ask the artists questions.
Matatoki - Contemporary Māori Carving is open from Sunday 20 October 2013 until Sunday 16 March 2014.