Buyers Spend on Contemporary Maori Art
MAORI MARKet Media Release
29 April 2007
Photography by Ken George
Contemporary Maori artworks sold highly at the first MAORI MARKet where more than 100 leading and emerging artists had work on display.
The work filled the TSB Bank Arena on Wellington’s Queens Wharf and attracted 7000 people including international collectors from North America. The world class event was the largest ever exhibition and sale of contemporary Maori art from throughout New Zealand. Guest Native American artists Lillian Pitt, Denise Wallace featured alongside the Maori artists.
Paintings, sculpture, clay art, cloaks, stonework, wood carving and jewellery sold and as fast as it walked out the door, it was replaced with new material.
MAORI MARKet was modelled on the enormously successful Indian Market in North America. It was organised and promoted by Toi Maori a charitable trust set up by leading Maori artists to foster and promote contemporary Maori arts.
The event which was opened by Sir Howard Morrison, also included story tellers, musicians, poets, kapa haka and live displays of weaving, ta moko, carving, clay work and a show of contemporary Maori fashion.
Photography by Ken George
Toi Maori General Manager Garry Nicholas said the success of MAORI MARKet guaranteed it would be staged again in two years with plans already underway to make it bigger and even more interactive.
“It is part of a 10 year plan and our first MAORI MARKet has exceeded all of our expectations,” Mr Nicholas said. “Already the artists are planning for the next event and thinking about artwork they will create.”
Mr Nicholas said several major exhibitions had toured North America, and the success at home was a platform to launch more exhibitions internationally where the work is a “hot” collectable commodity.
“This is a springboard for a range of other Maori activities like tourism. International buyers become curious and want to come to New Zealand and meet the artists and see the country that has inspired the work,” Mr Nicholas said.
Caption (fashion show):
Bi-cultural rap models Nirvana Phillips-Wineera, Kiri-Jean Green and Challise Walford-Munro from Whitireia Performing Arts School on the red carpet at the MAORI MARKet fashion show in Wellington yesterday (Sunday). The wearable art was created by Suzanne Tamaki from Op Shop blankets, beads, kitsch tikis and feathers to symbolise colonisation. It was daringly offered for sale for land, beads or guns.
Caption (Native American artists):
Denise Wallace (Aleut) Jeweller from Alaska and Lillian Pitt (Warm Springs / Yakama / Wasco tribes) Jeweller and Ceramic Artist from Portland, Oregon.
For further information, contact Garry Nicholas, General Manager, Toi Maori Aotearoa phone 021 424 283 or Iain Morrison 021 688 668.