Solander Works on Paper in Wellington is hosting 2 exhibitions
by NZ Print artists Michel Tuffery and Simon Kaan.
The opening function is tonight Wednesday 11 September from 5.30-7pm
and the exhibitions will be open to the public until 19 October.
Michel Tuffery: Te Fenua
Te Fenua coherently brings together three suites of works,
each holding a narrative which recounts past and current Pacific history
in a pictorial and contemporary manner.
Tuffery responds further into the historical ‘first contact’ material
recorded by the Tahitian ambassador Tupaia,
the scientists and artists who ventured with Captain James Cook’s on his three epic voyages.
Territorially his Ula suite of powerful woodblock prints references the residue across the Pacific
from the French nuclear testing in Mururoa
and reflects on the position Aotearoa took by sending two navy frigates
to protest against the testing at that time -
of note 2013 represents 40 years since this occurred.
Tuffery’s art has always been a vehicle enabling him to pose questions
about colonialism, history, identity, ownership, place, family and legacy.
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| Michel Tuffery, Self Portrait, 2012 hand-coloured etching, 30x40cm |
Simon Kaan: New Works
Land, sea and sky dominate Simon Kaan’s works.
The spaces are fragmented by floating, horizon lines,
which create a sense of rhythm and movement –
a rhythm Kaan says echoes that of the sea and the waves.
Kaan is of Ngai Tahu, Chinese and European descent
and, though the waka shape is distinctly Māori,
Kaan says the boat as a vessel for the living and the dead is pretty much a universal symbol.
The waka-like shape brings to mind the curved edge of a wave
as well as a celestial vessel carrying spirits from one world to the next.
It is also a way for him to locate himself in the work.
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| Simon Kaan, Untitled, 2013 intaglio woodcut, 30x30cm |
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