Latest news with #RobynKahukiwa
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: artist whose colour palette and politics made her name
ROBYN KAHUKIWA Robyn Kahukiwa was an intensely private woman who always claimed that her art spoke for her. The Australian-born painter, then Robyn Fletcher Crenshaw, moved to New Zealand as a 19-year-old in 1957, having trained as a commercial artist. An early inspiration for Kahukiwa's own art came from discovering her Māori heritage (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare) on her mother's side. Art was not a career option at that time in New Zealand and Kahukiwa worked as a highly-respected secondary school teacher at Mana College as a day job, while also raising a family with husband Dooley Kahukiwa, whom she married in 1965. The feelings she needed to express found their wellspring through painting and Kahukiwa soon gained a following in her home base of Wellington. Influenced by the likes of Frida Kahlo and Colin McCahon, her works stood out in the annual Academy of Fine Arts exhibitions in which she took part for most of the 1970s. Her first solo show was held in 1971, at Wellington's Red Cottage Gallery. As her work matured, Kahukiwa explored themes such as motherhood, womanhood, Māori identity and sovereignty. She was unafraid to mix bold political statement with mundane settings, many paintings were inspired by the Porirua streets where she lived. Environmental themes often cropped up and as her knowledge of her heritage deepened Kahukiwa would also draw upon Māori mythology and spirituality. In the early 1980s, thanks to a grant, Kahukiwa was able to become a full-time artist, supplementing what she earned from sales with prolific and acclaimed work as an illustrator and writer of children's books. Noted collaborators included Patricia Grace and Joy Cowley. In 1983 her big break came, the "Wāhine Toa" exhibition. Its images of strong Māori women electrified audiences, it toured the country for two years. Kahukiwa was in demand, and her works were snapped up by private collectors and public galleries alike. She became one of the most widely represented artists in New Zealand's public art collections. Her work also attracted international attention, and Kahukiwa participated in group exhibitions and workshops in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and in 2023 had work exhibited at the Sharjah Biennial. Ever the teacher, Kahukiwa became a valued mentor and an inspiration for generations of young artists, Māori and non-Māori alike. Her influence and impact on New Zealand art was recognised in 2020 when Kahukiwa was awarded Te Tohu Aroha mō Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the Exemplary/Supreme Award at the Te Waka Toi Awards. One of Kahukiwa's last major shows was in 2024, at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. The gallery wrote, "Robyn Kahukiwa's artworks have made a difference to Māori". "They have provided not only beauty and strength but inroads into our mātauranga, and the multi-layered, inter-generational and ever-evolving stories that are part of our cultural landscape." Robyn Kahukiwa died on April 11, aged 86. — APL
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
New Exhibitions Celebrate Waikato's Public Art And Pioneering Maaori Artist
Press Release – Hamilton City Council Inside Out is open to the public at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery from 16 May to 5 October 2025 and entry is free. Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is open from 16 May to 7 September 2025 and entry is free. He Mai Mai Aroha Kia Fred Graham' E te maatanga toi ote ao Maaori takoto! Kua mutu to hikoitanga ite mata ote whenua oou Tuupuna Maatua Haere atu raa. E kore e mutu te tangi mou. Kei te tuu tonu ana oou taonga hanga nei koe ete matua hurinoa ki te Ao katoa! Kaati a tera waahi mou E moe! A celebration of Waikato's public art and a powerful painting retrospective are the two new exhibitions opening this week at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery. 'Inside Out' showcases the region's landmark sculptures through photographs alongside smaller-scale works by the same artists. The exhibition has been curated by Te Whare Taonga's Gina Matchitt and includes work by the legendary Tainui artist Fred Graham, who passed away last week aged 97. 'Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi' celebrates pioneering Maaori artist Robyn Kahukiwa, who passed away recently aged 87. The exhibition is developed and toured by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, in partnership with Te Manawa Museum. 'We are buzzing with excitement to share these two new exhibitions,' said Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts. ' Inside Out will take our visitors from the bold outdoor landmarks we all recognise from around the region, to the intimacy of a gallery setting with insights to the process of developing larger-than-life scale work. 'It's fascinating to see how an iconic public artwork, like Chris Booth and Diggeress Te Kanawa's 'Ngā Uri o Hinetuparimaunga' located at the entrance to Hamilton Gardens, relates directly to an exquisite feathered korowai and to a dramatic installation in the Museum's largest gallery space. 'As well as work by Fred Graham, Chris Booth, and Diggeress Te Kanawa, Inside Out also features the artists Dion Hitchens, Lonnie Hutchinson, Bob Jahnke, Eugene Kara, and Para Matchitt. 'We've also created the 'Inside Out Road Trip' with a custom Google Maps itinerary so that you can continue a self-lead adventure visiting the public art featured in our exhibition.' Regarding the exhibition Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi, Cotton acknowledges the poignant timing of this tribute to one of Aotearoa New Zealand's trailblazing artists: 'In light of Robyn's passing, there is a deeper resonance to Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi and the decades of her artwork on display. Her mahi has become an alternate visual rendering of Aotearoa's history, through the lens of a Maaori woman. It is an honour to share this nationwide touring exhibition with our communities here in Hamilton Kirikiriroa.' Robyn Kahukiwa has iwi affiliations to Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare. As well as powerful paintings that interweave art and politics, she also wrote and illustrated award-winning children's books, including collaborating with writer Patricia Grace. In 2020, Creative New Zealand named Kahukiwa as the Supreme Award winner at the 34th Te Waka Toi Awards in recognition of her extensive career as a painter, illustrator, sculptor and author, as well as her unyielding political and cultural commentary. Inside Out is open to the public at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery from 16 May to 5 October 2025 and entry is free. Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is open from 16 May to 7 September 2025 and entry is free. Please note For te reo Maaori, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery uses double vowels (uu) in place of vowels with a macron (ū) to represent a long vowel sound. This spelling approach is the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Waikato iwi for te reo Maaori words. Artists' titles are shown in their original form.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
New Exhibitions Celebrate Waikato's Public Art And Pioneering Maaori Artist
He Mai Mai Aroha Kia Fred Graham' E te maatanga toi ote ao Maaori takoto! Kua mutu to hikoitanga ite mata ote whenua oou Tuupuna Maatua Haere atu raa. E kore e mutu te tangi mou. Kei te tuu tonu ana oou taonga hanga nei koe ete matua hurinoa ki te Ao katoa! Kaati a tera waahi mou E moe! A celebration of Waikato's public art and a powerful painting retrospective are the two new exhibitions opening this week at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery. 'Inside Out' showcases the region's landmark sculptures through photographs alongside smaller-scale works by the same artists. The exhibition has been curated by Te Whare Taonga's Gina Matchitt and includes work by the legendary Tainui artist Fred Graham, who passed away last week aged 97. 'Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi' celebrates pioneering Maaori artist Robyn Kahukiwa, who passed away recently aged 87. The exhibition is developed and toured by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, in partnership with Te Manawa Museum. 'We are buzzing with excitement to share these two new exhibitions,' said Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts. ' Inside Out will take our visitors from the bold outdoor landmarks we all recognise from around the region, to the intimacy of a gallery setting with insights to the process of developing larger-than-life scale work. 'It's fascinating to see how an iconic public artwork, like Chris Booth and Diggeress Te Kanawa's 'Ngā Uri o Hinetuparimaunga' located at the entrance to Hamilton Gardens, relates directly to an exquisite feathered korowai and to a dramatic installation in the Museum's largest gallery space. 'As well as work by Fred Graham, Chris Booth, and Diggeress Te Kanawa, Inside Out also features the artists Dion Hitchens, Lonnie Hutchinson, Bob Jahnke, Eugene Kara, and Para Matchitt. 'We've also created the 'Inside Out Road Trip' with a custom Google Maps itinerary so that you can continue a self-lead adventure visiting the public art featured in our exhibition.' Regarding the exhibition Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi, Cotton acknowledges the poignant timing of this tribute to one of Aotearoa New Zealand's trailblazing artists: 'In light of Robyn's passing, there is a deeper resonance to Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi and the decades of her artwork on display. Her mahi has become an alternate visual rendering of Aotearoa's history, through the lens of a Maaori woman. It is an honour to share this nationwide touring exhibition with our communities here in Hamilton Kirikiriroa.' Robyn Kahukiwa has iwi affiliations to Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi, and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare. As well as powerful paintings that interweave art and politics, she also wrote and illustrated award-winning children's books, including collaborating with writer Patricia Grace. In 2020, Creative New Zealand named Kahukiwa as the Supreme Award winner at the 34th Te Waka Toi Awards in recognition of her extensive career as a painter, illustrator, sculptor and author, as well as her unyielding political and cultural commentary. Inside Out is open to the public at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery from 16 May to 5 October 2025 and entry is free. Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi is open from 16 May to 7 September 2025 and entry is free. Please note For te reo Maaori, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery uses double vowels (uu) in place of vowels with a macron (ū) to represent a long vowel sound. This spelling approach is the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Waikato iwi for te reo Maaori words. Artists' titles are shown in their original form.
