Emerging Polynesian artists soak up art in Wellington
Friday 10 June 2016, 10:50AM
By Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
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Two young Polynesian artists from Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Creative Industries (BCI) were recently selected to immerse themselves in Pacific art on an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington.
Juanita-Louisa Karora (Year 3) and Vatina Butler (Year 2) were part of a group of Polynesian students sponsored by the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust (Tautai), which supports the growing number of contemporary Pacific artists living in Aotearoa.
Both students are majoring in visual arts at the institute’s Windermere Campus and were enthralled with the experiences they had.
“We went to so many amazing places that it is impossible to choose a favourite,” says Juanita-Louisa.
“Te Papa was very special – we were given a behind the scenes tour of the Pacific Collection by Grace Hutton (Pacific Collection Manager). Te Papa is undertaking a long-term project that involves surveying the collection by Pacific Island groups. I t was amazing to be able to see all these treasured Pacific heritage items that aren’t on show to the public. We also pulled off an awesome ‘running man’ challenge for Te Papa!”
Over the weekend the students went on a walking tour through dealer galleries, visited Siapo Cinema over two nights to see different screenings of Pasifika films and spent time at The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt. They also attended artist talks with Juliet Carpenter and Campbell Patterson at the Adam Art Gallery for the current exhibition Inhabiting Space
“We visited Pātaka Art + Museum who were exhibiting works by George Nuku, Robert Janke, Jade Townsend and Kelcy Taratoa (Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Raukawa),” says Vatina. “Kelcy is one of our tutors on the BCI programme and Reuben Friend, the Director of Pātaka, provided a critique of Kelcy’s work for us. It was great to learn how Reuben critiques and sees the collections currently on show.”
After a rewarding and enriching cultural experience, both students are now busy back in the studio in the lead up to the end of semester. They’re looking forward to being able to share their new-found knowledge and appreciate of Polynesian art to their classmates and further developing their own art practice.