Peter Robinson

Charcoal Drawing
Installation view of Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing, Whangārei Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Nimmy Santhosh

Installation view of Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing, Whangārei Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Nimmy Santhosh

Te kaiora āhuatanga ōkiko engari anō te hākirikiri katakata, ko ngā mahi konumohe papaangi – wahie – tahuna ki roto i tēnei whakaaturanga he mea karanga whakahoki ki ngā whakapāpātanga ki mua a Robinson ki ngā rawa tāwhaiwhai ngana pērā i te kōmama me te whītau. Engari kia whakaritea ki te tērā pea whakameremere hītōria o ētahi mahi tawhito ake, ko ēnei “tuhinga waro” he pukuhohe mōkinokino, ahakoa ka hē pea kia whakamāori i tēnei tū whakapū – whakatapeha hei pāraharaha tūturu.

Ko te tāwhaiwhai poururu o ngā rawa ka whakaatūhia ki konei – whakaahua mōkinokino, rārangi o te maumaharatanga haurua tai ao – ka kaua e whakakore i tā rātou tūnga hei taonga toi; engaringari, mā te hanganga whakaatūranga pōkeretia katoa ki ēnei tāraitanga - ūmanga whakatakotoranga nunui, ka whakahaua e Robinson te kaimātakitaki kia āta whakaaro ki a rātou, kia arotahi ki a rātou kounga hei taonga, ā, tuku i a rātou whakaritenga kia āta tākirikiri mai I reira. E titiro, hei ko tāna pea, me kitea he pēhea te pakē me te whekoki o te papaangi ka whakakopakopa au i te konganuku. Me kitea he pēhea te horo ka whakamaheatia te āhuahanga, engari he pēhea te ngāwari me te aumangea o te hangahanga tonu kei raro.

He whakamātautau poto o ngā mahi onāianei tonu ka āwhina kia mataara i te hikoinga ka hua mai a Tuhinga Waro. Ki ngā tau torutoru tata nei, ko ana raruraru roroa ki te, me ngā akiaki o, ngā tōrangapū tuakiri kua āhuanuitia te tawaka me te anga – rānei, tērā pea, ākahukahu – ki roto i te ao rawa, e kore nei e ngaro he aha i tōna tūāhua rangirua. I 2020, ki ana whakaatūranga Rag Trade me Notations ka tango i te āhua ririhau, kauawhi tōnuitanga ki te whakaaro o te whakahoro rawa, e puta ai he huarewa kūwawatia ki te hanga ruirui o ngā mara ngetangeta me te konganuku kua tauwhiwhitia ki ngā taonga whare kirihou pākarukaru. Ki roto o ēnei ka tītohutia te kūnakunaku hihiri whakamataku o te tekau tau hou i hanga whakatinanatia kāpōtia, akuakutia ki roto i tētahi whakakoikoi, hanganga taitapa māota.

Installation view of Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing, Whangārei Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Nimmy Santhosh

Installation view of Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing, Whangārei Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Nimmy Santhosh

Hei te wā e ngaro haere nei ngā tau 2020, ko ngā mahi a Robinson ka timata ki te whakautu i te tekau tau tūāhua rangiwhāwhā o te whakahorohoro haere noa tonuotonu o te pirautanga rawa me te tihahu hāpori kia whano kē. I Kā Kaihōpara i ngā 2023, he pūnaha hou ka whiti ake i te tihahu, he pōrahurahu, he āhua taunga, he rauponga i hangaia mā te whakapiko tekihana whakawhiti – tapawhā paepae konumohe. Waiwai, heoi anō, ko ēnei whakatakotoranga horekau i tauora i roto i tētahi mārua, engari i whakawhirinaki (koia rānei i whakataetae) nā tetahi korihi Kariki wawā a ētahi ake reo enanga mai ana i ngā mahi ki ngā pātū, ētahi o ēnei nā Robinson, ā, ētahi nā āna hoa, ētahi nā tōna whānau.

Ko tēnei huānga o te hāpori, o te whakarea, tērā pea he waiwai kia mārama ki te ara hou a Robinson, inā rā ka whakarauora huānga kōrerorero, te rangirua me te tauutuutu ki ngā whakahaerenga. Heoi anō, he mea motuhake, ko tēnei he reo kōhure, he tino rerekē i tērā o te mātauranga wetereo whiwhinga piro ka hura rawa ake ki te kumukumu whakamataku auhi ao tūturu. He whakapuakitanga mō te kōrero, ehara i te tautohetohe.

Hei tētahi ringa toi ko tāna rongo i hangaia kia whai wāhi ki ngā mahi ka kōrero mō ngā awangawanga a Pākehā e pā ana ki a Māori me ngā awangawanga a Māori ki ēnei awangawanga, ka mārama kia kimikimi a Robinson kia whakaaro anō ki tōna tūnga ki roto i te takotoranga tōrangapū onāianei. Te hanga nei, engaringari kia tarai kia whakapāpā ki te puna tākere kore o te waiōmiomio reo tuihono, ka whakauru whakapuakitanga haere noa mō te takariri me te taikaha mātai hinengaro, mātai hāpori Matakite koretia ki ngā 1990 ki Aotearoa, kua kōwhiritia matatautia e Robinson kia nekehia te pakanga ki tētahi wāhi o tōna ake kōwhitinga, koia ko te tinana takiwā huarewa, whakakakara ki te hopiwē puroa me te peita kiriaku mā i hokona kauteretia. Ki te huarere onāianei, tērā pea ko te hohenga tino whai hua ka taea e tētahi ko te whakamakere i ngā whakaauau, momo whakaaro pākiki, ā, me arotahi kē ki te ao kikokiko, e tauora tonu nei hei hinonga nahenahe, wātea mai i tōna kiritau moepapa matihiko.

Te reo Māori translation: Daniel Hauraki

I whakaputaina tuatahitia tēnei tuhika i te tau e 2024 e te Whangārei Art Museum mō te whakaaturaka, mō Charcoal Drawing.

Will appear in B.220

27 May 2025

Andrew Clarke

Andrew Clark is an Auckland-based writer and editor with an interest in art, literature, comics, photography, film and material culture.