Protests over ‘please walk on me' flag artwork prompt its removal from gallery
The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said it had taken down the work by Maori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears.
The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid a public backlash in 1995.
This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history.
Police told the Associated Press that officers were investigating 'several' complaints about the exhibition.
The piece, titled Flagging The Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words 'please walk on me' stencilled across it.
The work was part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Maori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century.
Ms Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Maori tribes for historical land theft.
'I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag,' she told Radio New Zealand in 2024. 'I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Maori.'
New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag's design.
New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to 5,000 New Zealand dollars, but prosecutions are fleetingly rare.
As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Maori, it is a reminder of land dispossession, and loss of culture and identity.
Protests against the artwork in the city of Nelson, which has a population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Maori Battalion during the Second World War.
In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Ms Tipu said she would repeat daily.
A veterans' group also denounced the piece as 'shameful' and 'offensive'. City council member Tim Skinner said he was 'horrified' by the work's inclusion.
But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media 'in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art'.
The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, the Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a 'sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate' had prompted the flag's removal.
'This should not be interpreted as a judgment on the artwork or the artist's intent,' the statement said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Harry's move sparked 'furious reaction' from key royal who refused to see him
When Harry and Meghan dropped a bombshell, there was one member of the Royal Family who was so furious at the Duke of Sussex that they refused to see him at all, a new documentary has claimed It's been over five years since Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, announced their intention to step back as full-time working royals - and at the time, their decision sent shockwaves across the UK. For the couple, things inside the monarchy had become untenable, and something needed to change - but for the rest of the Royal Family, their public announcement that they wanted to adopt a half-in, half-out approach to royal life presented a massive set of issues. The Sussexes had been spending time in Canada before their shock announcement, and Meghan had to return to the country to be with Archie - leaving Harry to attend what has been dubbed as the Sandringham Summit to hash out the details of their exit by himself. A new documentary on Channel Five - Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit - has seen experts and commentators dive into what really happened behind closed doors at the summit, and what the long-term impacts of it have been on the monarchy. One expert revealed that there was allegedly one senior member of the House of Windsor who was left utterly "horrified" by Harry's decision to step back: his grandfather, Prince Philip. Royal author Andrew Morton claimed in the new documentary, "Prince Philip is someone who doesn't take fools gladly, and he was horrified that they had come to a situation where the Royal Family were deciding whether to split up or not." Another expert explained the late Duke of Edinburgh's feelings were so strong that he left Sandringham altogether, rather than come face-to-face with his grandson Harry. "Philip was so angry," explained journalist Emily Andrews, "that he refused to even be there. I was told that he just couldn't bring himself to see his grandson, he thought it was a huge dereliction of duty." Whilst Prince Philip always demurred to the authority of his wife, the late Queen Elizabeth, when it came to matters of the crown, when it came to private matters, said to be "very much the head of the family". Prince Philip had a very close relationship with both Prince Harry and his elder brother Prince William - as well as the rest of his six other grandchildren - and he was called "brilliantly effective" at helping the two brothers when they tragically lost their mother in 1997. Author Tina Brown wrote: "A member of the Balmoral staff [where the boys were when they received the news Diana had died] noted that Prince Philip, who had effectively lost his own mother at the age of 10 when she was committed for three years to an asylum in Switzerland, was brilliantly effective with his grandsons, offering them gruff tenderness and outdoor activities like stalking and hiking to tire them out". Equally, the Independent reports that during the planning of Diana's funeral, Prince Philip reminded those involved in organising the day that "It's about the boys, they've lost their mother." He also helped them on the day of the funeral itself, when he told them he would join them in the funeral procession, saying "I'll walk if you walk." However, despite their close bond, the year following the Sandringham Summit and Harry's decision to leave royal life behind that Prince Philip passed away - only a month after the Sussexes sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their bombshell interview detailing the reasons why they had chosen to walk away. Prince Harry returned for his grandfather's funeral, which, subject to social distancing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had a limited number of guests. Get Royal Family updates straight to your WhatsApp! He paid tribute to his grandfather in a moving statement, "He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right 'til the end." Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit, Saturday 31 st May, 8pm. Watch | Stream on 5.
Leader Live
a day ago
- Leader Live
Protests over ‘please walk on me' flag artwork prompt its removal from gallery
The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said it had taken down the work by Maori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid a public backlash in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. Police told the Associated Press that officers were investigating 'several' complaints about the exhibition. The piece, titled Flagging The Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words 'please walk on me' stencilled across it. The work was part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Maori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Ms Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Maori tribes for historical land theft. 'I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag,' she told Radio New Zealand in 2024. 'I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Maori.' New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag's design. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to 5,000 New Zealand dollars, but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Maori, it is a reminder of land dispossession, and loss of culture and identity. Protests against the artwork in the city of Nelson, which has a population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Maori Battalion during the Second World War. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Ms Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as 'shameful' and 'offensive'. City council member Tim Skinner said he was 'horrified' by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media 'in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art'. The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, the Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a 'sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate' had prompted the flag's removal. 'This should not be interpreted as a judgment on the artwork or the artist's intent,' the statement said.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
A hunt for Banksy's new lighthouse artwork leads to the south of France
Images of an enigmatic new work by elusive street artist Banksy set off debate about its meaning — and a hunt for its location that ended Friday in the south of France. It started with photos on the artist's Instagram site showing a stenciled lighthouse on a wall and the words 'I want to be what you saw in me.' The stenciled lighthouse gives the illusion of being the shadow of a bollard standing near the wall. A photo posted Thursday on Instagram, where Banksy usually posts new works, shows a couple walking two dogs past the artwork. Banksy, who has left his mark on buildings from London to Los Angeles to Ukraine to the West Bank, did not disclose the work's location. After online speculation suggested it could be in Marseille, southern France, The Associated Press tracked it down in a street near the city's port. Some speculated the quote could be inspired by 'Softly,' a song by Tennessee-based country band Lonestar, which features the lyric: 'I want to be what you see in me. I want to love you the way that you love me.' Banksy, who has never confirmed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world's best-known artists. His mischievous and often satirical images include two male police officers kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words, 'Laugh now, but one day I'll be in charge.' His work has sold for millions of dollars at auction, and past murals on outdoor sites have often been stolen or removed by building owners soon after going up. In December 2023, after Banksy stenciled military drones on a stop sign in south London, a man was photographed taking down the sign with bolt cutters. Police later arrested two men on suspicion of theft and criminal damage. In March 2024, an environmentally themed work on a wall beside a tree in north London was splashed with paint, covered with plastic sheeting and fenced off within days of being created.
