Te Moemoea no Iotefa

Te Moemoea no Iotefa was the first exhibition held in a civic art gallery in New Zealand focused on contemporary Pacific art.[1]:431

Exhibition

The exhibition was curated by art historian Rangihiroa Panaho for the Sarjeant Art Gallery in Wanganui in 1990.[2] The exhibition's full title was Te Moemoea no Iotefa, The Dream of Joseph: A Celebration of Pacific Art and Taonga; the title was derived from one of the tivaevae works included in the show.[1] :432

The exhibition filled all the spaces of the Sarjeant Gallery.[3] Panaho wrote in the introduction to the exhibition catalogue that he was aiming to explore the South Pacific as 'Aotearoa's most immediate historical, geographical and cultural context', and seeking to 'examine and explore the visual side of this context and the ways in which artists in this country are exploring it'.[3] The exhibition brought together four strands of art making:

1. The wealth of material culture from the Pacific Islands found in museums, libraries, private collections - taonga such as historical writing, photographs, tapa, tivaevae, weaving and carving.

2. Work currently being produced by Pacific Islanders living in New Zealand such as tivaevae and carving.

3. Work by palagi artists in this country (e.g. Fomison, Shepherd, Lynn, Lett, Hanly, McMillan, Adams, and Jowitt) which constitutes a response to Pacific Island subject and motif.

4. Work by contemporary Pacific artists utilising a Western aesthetic - to draw on and interpret their particular island cultures.[3]

The exhibition 'wove together the various aspects of Pacific culture as it persists in Aotearoa'.[4]:24 Art historian Nicholas Thomas writes 'Museum artifacts were placed with contemporary art, folk crafts with paintings, archive photographs with contemporary images, and Pacific artists among white appropriators of culture'.[5]

The exhibition catalogue contains interviews with 10 contemporary artists included in the show:

Reception and influence

Te Moemoea no Iotefa has been described as 'the first group exhibition to celebrate the dynamism of Pacific art'.[6]:40

The exhibition contributed to a sense of group identification amongst a group of young or emerging artists, including Ioane, Tuffery, Laita and John Pule.[7]:134The exhibition is seen as an important precursor to Bottled Ocean, a 1994 exhibition focused on the work of contemporary Pacific artists.[1]:432

Art historian Karen Stevenson notes the importance of the exhibition in building the careers of participating artists:

With the success of Te Moemoea no Iotefa, Pacific artists found exhibition space more readily available, and as recognition of Pacific artists grew, dealer galleries and community centers became interested in hosting "Pacific" exhibitions. Group "Pacific" shows became regular occurrences in art galleries throughout the country, as did solo exhibitions at dealer galleries."[4]:25

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brunt, Peter; Nicholas, Thomas (2013). Art in Oceania : a new history. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500239010.
  2. ↑ Abadia, Karina (18 June 2015). "Maori Art Book Takes Inclusive Approach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Panaho, Rangihiroa (1990). Te Moemoea no Iotefa (The dream of Joseph). Whanganui: Sarjeant Art Gallery.
  4. 1 2 Chiu, Melissa; Stevenson, Karen; Mason, Ngahiraka; Vercoe, Caroline (2004). Paradise now? : contemporary art from the Pacific. Auckland: David Bateman in association with Asia Society. ISBN 1869535847.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Nicholas (1996). "The Dream of Joseph: Practices of Identity in Pacific Art". The Contemporary Pacific. 8 (2): 308.
  6. ↑ Raymond, Rosanna; Salmond, Amiria (2008). Pasifika Styles. Cambridge and Dunedin: University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; Otago University Press. ISBN 0947595155.
  7. ↑ Mallon, Sean; Pereira, Pandora Fulimalo (1997). Speaking in colour : conversations with artists of Pacific Island heritage. Wellington: Te Papa Press. ISBN 0909010447.
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