The Ancient Mariners

Becoming a Matai (Samoan Chief) was the catalyst for Sheyne Tuffery’s multimedia exhibition The Ancient Mariners. Tuffery said he responded to the significance of being given the title of Matai by taking a fresh look at Polynesian history.

“The Ancient Mariners is an exhibition depicting my perpetual fascination with Polynesian antiquity and the incredible seafaring of our ancestors. My new work is an artist’s depiction of Island life when the Polynesians were searching of new lands to start new cultures 2000 years before the first missionaries began to even think about coming down here.” Tuffery, based in Wellington, works predominantly in mixed media painting, moving image and printmaking. Perhaps best known for the dynamic style of his prints and woodcuts, Sheyne describes himself as a paper architect, using his work to create and represent his own cultural context and sense of belonging.

Sheyne Tuffery

14 May – 11 June

Papakura Art Gallery, 10 Averill St, Auckland