19Nov

04Feb

OUR INHERITED BODY & THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING LOCALLY

Papakura Art Gallery 19 November 2016 – 4 February 2017

Works exploring spiritual connections between the past and present are on show alongside works by young artists at Papakura Art Gallery next month.

Our Inherited Body brings together the practices of contemporary jewellery artists Jasmine Te Hira and Selina Shanti Woulfe – whose individual explorations into rituals and identity have led them to use their bodies as an ode to the spiritual connections between the past and the present.

Selina Woulfe Bloodline Rituals (2014)

Our Inherited Body features photographs, adornment pieces and filmed performances that demonstrate complex interactions between artist and object. “As makers and artists, we are interested in objects as recorders of accumulated history,” says Jasmine Te Hira. “The taonga we choose to adorn ourselves with in this show are small silent memorials – celebrations of time, stories of rites of passage as well as tracking loss and can embody grief. This is what we’re wanting to explore.” A public programme, Track and Trace is planned during the exhibition, enabling people to bring a precious object into the gallery and share their embedded memories of it, which will be documented in a photographic essay.

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally showcases works by young local artists and secondary school students on what Papakura means to them. Curator Amiria Puia Taylor, with tutors from Papakura High School, worked with young people to create works inspired by their social and cultural positioning within the Papakura area.

Matariki Digital Photography by Rapi Matamua (Papakura High School) 2016

“Thinking Globally, Acting Locally reveals their perspectives to a wider audience. It is also a professional development opportunity for the young artists,” Amiria says. “By co-creating with local organisations and practitioners, we hope the artists and their families will understand the importance of maintaining their interest in the arts and helping these artists thrive.”

Address: Averill St, Papakura, 2110
Phone: 09-297 7510