Kotahitanga
Brett Graham, Artist
This is one of the
sculptures
in our collection.
It was made in 2000. The place where it was made is unknown.
About the Work
Brett
Graham's
three
sculptural
works
in
'Telecom
prospect
2001'
were
first
exhibited
in
2000
under
the
exhibition
title
'Stain'.
The
work
references
the
assimilation
of
Maori
and
European
cultures
in
New
Zealand.
Indeed
Graham's
colonial
school
desk
is
visibly
inscribed
with
European
symbols
of
power,
the
cross
and
the
lion,
while
a
wider
range
of
more
personal
icons
are
hidden
from
view
under
the
desk's
lid.
In his carved kauri relief panels Graham intersperses traditional Maori symbols with European symbols; he stains white black, and black with white. In a kind of performative enactment of the works' thematic concerns, the panels were stained during the opening of 'Stain' with black engine oil and paraffin oil dripping from containers inside the carvings through small openings onto the gallery floor. The carved motifs on the panels are arranged in rows and the sculptures' titles suggest that they are like visual memory aides for reciting karakia (prayer). Yet it is as if specific religious icons have been wiped out of the work leaving blank gaps amongst symbols which reference Maoritanga, colonisation and Graham's own artistic history.
http://www.prospect2001.org.nz
In his carved kauri relief panels Graham intersperses traditional Maori symbols with European symbols; he stains white black, and black with white. In a kind of performative enactment of the works' thematic concerns, the panels were stained during the opening of 'Stain' with black engine oil and paraffin oil dripping from containers inside the carvings through small openings onto the gallery floor. The carved motifs on the panels are arranged in rows and the sculptures' titles suggest that they are like visual memory aides for reciting karakia (prayer). Yet it is as if specific religious icons have been wiped out of the work leaving blank gaps amongst symbols which reference Maoritanga, colonisation and Graham's own artistic history.
http://www.prospect2001.org.nz
Measurements
670 x 1020 x 720mm
Media
lacquered rimu
Description
carved school desk
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Purchased, 2003
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
25 Sep 2003