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This exhibition features the work of two contemporary Maori women artists Dianne Prince and Emare Karaka.

Dianne Prince is a Wellington artist of the Nga Puki and Ngati Whatua who has been exhibiting since 1986. Her work was also included in the Maori Art Today exhibition which accompanied Te Maori and in last year's show Nga Toi o te Iwi - Nga Hua o te Iwi at the National Library.

In this latest exhibition with Emare Karaka, Dianne Prince's installation pieces make strong reference to Maoritanga, the spirit of the land and to the traditional arts of Maori women - namely the weaving of the Harakeke. Harakeke, or flax, in its raw or 'found' condition or in the sheltering constructions of its woven forms, features prominently in these recent works by Dianne Prince.

The paintings of Emare Karaka also centre around her sensitivity as a woman and particularly as a Maori woman and mother. This Auckland-based artist has been exhibiting chiefly in the Auckland region since 1980. Her symbolism is personal, rising directly from her own experience and interpretations and conveyed with bold expressive brushwork, rhythmic line and clear vivid colour. Karaka's concerns are frequently humanitarian focusing on the plight of women, or on racism, and are deeply rooted in Maoritanga with its sensitivity to the land and its people. She says "I have always had a deep sense - E tu wahine Maori. Kia Kaha e wahine ma."

('Diane Prince and Emare Karaka', Bulletin, No.63, May/June 1989, p.4)

This exhibition was held at the McDougall Art Annex.