Cora-Allan Ōtautahi (Christchurch) from the series While at sea 2023. Whenua, kāpia ink, hiapo, brass. Courtesy of the artist
Cora-Allan Ko ao, ko ao, ko Aotearoa! 2023. Whenua and kāpia ink on birch plywood panels. Courtesy of the artist.
Cora-Allan Encountering Aotearoa 2023 (installation view), Courtesy of the artist.
Cora-Allan Encountering Aotearoa 2023 (installation view), Courtesy of the artist.
Cora-Allan Encountering Aotearoa 2023 (installation view), Courtesy of the artist.
This exhibition is now closed
A major body of new work that considers the whenua from the vantage point of the moana.
Cora-Allan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tumutumu, Niue – Liku, Alofi) reflects on her recent two-week voyage by sea around Aotearoa, from the bottom of Te Waipounamu to Te Tai Tokerau in the north. Using whenua-pigment, hiapo and other resources from the ngahere, she documented the shapes and views of the whenua of Aotearoa from the perspective of the moana. Cora-Allan was accompanied by her pāpā, Kelly Lafaiki (Niue – Liku, Alofi) who recorded the journey in a journal through notes and pictures, and artist Emily Parr (Ngāi Te Rangi, Moana, Pākehā), who captured the personal interactions of father and daughter in two moving-image works that sit alongside this exhibition. Encountering Aotearoa responds to the legacy of colonial mapping and recording practices, building on Cora-Allan’s research into the artists and botanists aboard the Endeavour during its maiden voyage in 1769.
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Date:
13 April – 25 August 2024 -
Location:
Ravenscar Gallery W A Sutton Gallery -
Curator:
Chloe Cull -
Exhibition number:
1160
Related
Interview
A Shift in Place
After Encountering Aotearoa opened at Dunedin Public Art Gallery I spent time reflecting on whether I was happy with the body of work and how it conveyed the journey I had taken with my Pāpā and my relationship with the whenua.
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
It feels a bit strange to be writing the foreword for the autumn edition of Bulletin on one of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s hottest days. However, here I am, welcoming in a new year and enjoying an amazing summer, while signalling a change in seasons and a range of new exhibitions and programmes here at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. It has been a fantastic, bustling summer for the Gallery so far, and we have welcomed over 60,000 visitors between 1 December 2023 and 31 January 2024.
Commentary
Encountering Aotearoa: Whenua, Place and Practice
I stand staring at a painting of Motupōhue Bluff Hill. Being from the far south myself, its shape is instantly recognisable, its silhouette painted in vibrant colours that mirror the way light reflects on the real Motupōhue. The paint used to create this familiar scene is made from whenua, and includes pukepoto, the rich blue pigment that comes from the land near the hill: my whenua. There’s a resonance between the work and its materials that makes it special, layered with connections that reflect my own identity and experiences, reaffirming memories and a sense of belonging.
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
Welcome to the spring edition of Bulletin. As I write, Te Rā: The Māori Sail has been with us at Te Puna o Waiwhetū for three weeks, and its presence continues to fill our building and hearts with a sense of warmth and wonder. It has been truly an honour to spend time with Te Rā, whose arrival and welcome was an incredibly important moment for Aotearoa. I felt very privileged to have experienced some of the excitement, joy and knowledge shared by so many during the wānanga and the opening weekend.
Commentary
Whenua is a Portal
Manawa mai tēnei i Ahuone mai
Manawa mai tēnei i whenuatia
Manawa mai tēnei he kapunga oneone
Tēnei te mauri
o Papatūānuku,
o Tūparimaunga,
o Parawhenuamea,
o Ukurangi
E whakaata mai nei e
Kōkiri!