Te Atinga
Contemporary Visual Arts
Te Atinga
Formed in 1987 as a committee within the Maori and South Pacific Arts Council (MASPAC), Te Atinga develops projects to develop and promote contemporary Maori art through exhibitions, wananga (symposia), publications and artist networks operating within regional to international tribal or urban centres.
Te Atinga fosters the development of emerging and established painters, sculptors, clay-workers, print-makers, digital and multi-media artists.
Appointment of new members is by invitation of the committee in recognition of the artists’ developing profile and artwork. Membership is voluntary with an expectation that support will be given to achieve the outcomes of the project.
For current events, click here Events
For news and past events click here Te Atinga Archive
Kaumatua, Elder
Te Aue Davis (Manukau)
Pouwhakahaere, Chair
Chris Bryant (Napier)
Committee members
Sandy Adsett (Hastings)
Gabrielle Belz (Auckland)
June Northcroft Grant (Rotorua)
Hemi Macgregor (Wellington)
Manos Nathan (Dargaville)
Colleen Waata-Urlich (Dargaville)
Dorothy Waetford (Dargaville)
Te Atinga Members 2008. From back: Manos Nathan, Chris Bryant, Nigel Borell. Front: Colleen Waata Urlich, Dorothy Waetford, June Grant, Gabrielle Belz
Exhibitions
There are many group exhibitions organised by Te Atinga held on marae, within iwi, council and corporate buildings, art schools, festival sheds, New Zealand High Commission foyer, convention arenas to museums, public and dealer art galleries. From such exhibitions many emerging artists have launched solo careers, with established artists securing other opportunities from residencies to commissions. Significant exhibitions developed by the committee include,
- Te Atinga, Waitangi Resort Hotel in Waitangi, 1991
- Te Waka Toi – Contemporary Maori Art from New Zealand that toured the United States of America return to the Auckland City Art Gallery in Auckland, 1992 – 1995
- Patua – Maori Art in Action, City Art Gallery in Wellington, 1996
- Haka, touring Great Britain return to Pipitea Marae in Wellington, 1997 – 1998
- Kiwa: Pacific Connections, Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver, Canada, 2003
- He Rere Kee – Taking Flight, Tinakori Gallery in Wellington, 2004
Wananga (symposiums, workshops, gatherings)
Founding members of Te Atinga maintain that the future of contemporary Maori art not only rests with established artists but also with rangatahi – the emerging artists, both creatively working together.
Since the inaugural Rangatahi Hui, 1991, at Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island, the committee continues foster the development of artists and their respective visual art disciplines with workshop based projects. Initiatives such as Ngaru Rua, nationally drew together a new ground swell of Maori artists with workshops held Palmerston North (2004), Hastings (2005) and Matatina Marae in Waipoua (2006) that culminated in a flurry of exhibitions of new works held regionally and abroad.
The 1995 Te Atinga Indigenous Visual Arts Wananga at Apumoana Marae in Rotorua created the largest gathering ever of Pacific Rim contemporary visual artists. Since this inaugural wananga or symposium hosted by Te Atinga, a series of reciprocal gatherings continue to draw artists together to share their art, culture and new directions.
- Te Raa, Dec 1999 – Jan 2000, at Toihoukura in Gisborne, 2nd Gathering hosted by Te Atinga to coincide with Millennium Celebrations featuring artist representation from the Pacific Rim and Malaysia
- Return to the Swing, June 2001, at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, USA hosted by Longhouse Education and Cultural Centre
- Te Mata, Jan 2005, at Toimairangi in Hastings, 3rd Gathering hosted by Te Atinga
- Piko, June 2007, at Waimea in Hawaii hosted by the Keomailani Hanapi Foundation
Publications
Contemporary Maori art publications
Founding contemporary Maori artists and editors, Cliff Whiting and Sandy Adsett state, “We have often said we wanted to produce a book on contemporary Maori art by ourselves and in our own way. We wanted a book that would feel Maori.” (Ihimaera et al [Eds], 1996: 197)
- Mataora: The Living Face is the resulting milestone book that has lead to the development of magazine articles, exhibition catalogues and other major publications that are found in homes, schools, libraries, galleries, public and private collections.
Te Atinga continues to develop working partnerships with researchers, writers and publishers.
Whakawhanaungatanga – Networks
Te Atinga continues to be a key advocate for contemporary Maori art courses within tertiary education sector and other community organisations. Prominent amongst the institutions are Toihoukura – Te Tairawhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne, Toimairangi – Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Hastings, Toi Oho ki Apiti – Massey University in Palmerston North and the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua. Maori graduates from these art courses continue to expand the range and genre of contemporary Maori visual arts expression.
Other Maori art collectives are also recognised by Te Atinga:
- Nga Kaihanga Uku – National Clay-workers
- Kauwae – Contemporary Maori Women Artists
- Ngaru Rua – Emerging Artists
Internationally renowned artist and institutional relationships are maintained by Te Atinga through out the Pacific, Australia, Malaysia, Europe and North America.
Te Atinga wish to acknowledge artist networks at the University of Hawaii in Manoa and the Keomailani Hanapi Foundation in Hawaii; the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Longhouse Education and Cultural Centre – Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (USA); the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art in British Columbia and Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.
Nga Kaupapa Hou – New Projects
Note – All projects are subject to change. Participation in projects is by committee invitation only with expressions of interest collated by Kate Ricketts (Operations Assistant), kate@maoriart.org.nz
- Papakura Exhibition, Te Ihi, Te Wehi: Spellbound Festival, Rotorua Convention Centre, Rotorua, 6 – 21 March 2009
- Te Atinga, Maori Market, Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua, October 2009
- Te Tihi – 4th Gathering of Indigenous Visual Artists, Rotorua, January 2010
This page was last updated 18 February 2009.