MAORI MARKet 2007
Toi Maori Aotearoa
Press Release 31 January 2007
A major Maori arts and cultural event to be held at the TSB Bank Arena, Wellington, April 27 - 29, 2007
MAORI MARKet is an exhibition of world class contemporary paintings; weaving; jewellery; sculpture; silver, jade and wood carvings by Maori artists that have been widely acclaimed in North America, and will form part of a Maori arts and cultural festival being launched in Wellington in April 2007.
Other components include collections of contemporary ceramics, body adornment and carvings. A fashion show will be one of the highlights of the event with a theme woven around the linking of cultures.
There will be an opportunity to watch weaving demonstrations from the weavers of the successful exhibition 'Toi Maori: the Eternal Thread' which has been seen by an estimated 90,000 people in the United States and New Zealand to date. It ends its highly successful tour at Christchurch City Gallery in April 2007. The international tour resulted in a collaboration between Native American and the Maori artists.
Lillian Pitt, a renowned ceramic and jewellery artist from Portland in Oregon, USA, will be a guest speaker talking about her career as an indigenous artist and how important tribal identity is in her art.
The MAORI MARKet will showcase dealer galleries, schools of Maori art, collectives of Maori artists, including ta moko, clay artists and painters.
There will be seminars, live performances featuring top Maori musicians, story-tellers and Maori business interests in food, wine and tourism.
The MAORI MARKet will be officially launched on Friday 9 February.
The three-day celebration of Maori art will be held at the Wellington TSB Bank Arena at Queens Wharf with a spectacular invitation-only opening on 26 April; it will open to the public from 27 to 29 April 2007. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketek.
Along with the exhibition of these taonga (treasures) will be the creators of the art works - some of New Zealand's most celebrated weavers, ta moko and contemporary visual artists. Many of the featured artists blend traditional and modern techniques and materials, employing innovative ways to carry on ancient themes. Works reflect the experiences, ideas and issues that are important to the artists and their communities today.
Toi Maori Aotearoa , Maori Arts New Zealand are the organisers of MAORI MARKet 2007 which supports and empowers artists to share and celebrate expressions of themselves and their culture through their art works, with the world.
"In MAORI MARKet we are preserving what is precious to us as New Zealanders, and widening the appreciation for these art forms all over the world."
ENDS
For further information, contact:
Toi Maori Aotearoa
Telephone: +64 (4) 801 7914
Email: toimaori@maoriart.org.nz
Website: http://www.maoriart.org.nz