Research-Lisa Reihana

Lisa Reihana: Digital Marae
A powerful photographic and new media series by leading Maori artist Lisa Reihana, in Govett-Brewster Gallery, 2007

Reihana’s work communicates complex ideas about indigenous identity and bi-cultural living and in this ongoing series she continues her investigation of the concept of the marae. In Digital marae she recreates a wharenui within a digital realm.

In a modern take on the pouwhenua or wooden carvings found lining a wharenui, Reihana’s large and dramatic photographs represent Maori ancestral figures. These images are imbued with a feeling of magic surrealism, seamlessly blending the traditional with contemporary elements. Govett-Brewster Director Rhana Devenport says, “Lisa Reihana’s Digital marae is without a doubt one of the most poetic and powerful photographic series produced in New Zealand in recent times. “This presentation of the work includes new dimensions within the series and the Govett-Brewster is honoured to be presenting these works for the first time.”

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections and she has a strong international presence, most recently exhibiting in Global feminisms at the Brooklyn Museum, and Native Portraits at Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea in Rome and delivering a lecture at the Tate Modern in London.

Research from

qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/apt/apt_2002

The Lecture8

08/05/09

In my point of view, we discussed about “Indigenous Narratives” has connected with art, such as art will talk about tribal native, ethnic, ancestral, majority and minority culture, etc. In definition of “narratives” this word is telling the story, or the other meaning that telling the protagonist and antagonist, so the whole meaning is the composition of artist work had the own background and connotation in it. That is why I like Richard Orjis and Lisa Reihana works, both them done very nice photo shot and represented the great performing art in their works.

About Richard’s composition, I like the way he used computer technical by using the Adobe Photoshop combine with his own photo shot, for example in his series of Gorse and Orchids, 2007. The whole overview and concept idea had represented the natural, native, and kind of talk about the tribal cultural decorations. I have seen his performing video before that the models grab the charcoal, then smeared over their bodies and made their whole figure looked like the “charcoal-burner” very dirty, unclean, also without the clothes. Richard took the models photo shot and used the photoshop to displayed the decorations around the body such as the wreath of flowers around the neck, or covered the face, or mouth. It was a brilliant idea and the symbolism of photograph that showed the significant of the background. Therefore, it was a greatest design which made the photograph became the different visual effects.

Furthermore, I very interested in Lisa Reihana’s works, looked through her series of her compositions, she had introduced the cultural design the way of her family background, it was strong and powerful subject matter that she represented in all the photographs. I like one of her photograph called “mahuika” the strong image that attract me a lot, the old woman setting on the highest chair, textile custom ling on the ground, and the charcoal gray sky in the background. I felt anxious when I saw the photograph, but the color used was very great and can attract people’s vision. Meanwhile, Tessa has let us watched the video “Wog Features” which was made by Lisa Reihana as well. She performed the one of actress in the video, and she used many objects like her own hand crafts which was made by pieces of fabrics, or clay, or other materials to made this feature’s film. She also used “repetition” work to make the object walking , dancing just like the real people. However, it was an artistic film work to present the other funny scene.

In conclusion, after done all the research, I realized that art is not only the frame work and the surface, but also the annotation of the art work and the meaning that what does artist want to present in he/her work.

Research- Billy Apple/ NZ USA

Billy Apple is one of a handful of New Zealanders who have had an impact on the international art scene. He has been at the forefront of two art movements, first in London (pop art) then in New York (pop and conceptual art). His work is held across the USA in public collections such as the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit; The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia; Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, California; Boise Art Museum, Idaho; and the Corning Museum of Glass, New York. He is widely represented in New Zealander’s major institutions and art collections.
Billy Apple was born Barrie Bates in Auckland in 1935. In 1959 he left New Zealand on a National Art Gallery scholarship. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London, from 1959 until 1962. In 1962 he changed his name to Billy Apple and moved to New York in 1964. In 1969 he established “Apple,” one of the first alternative spaces in New York. In the 1970s, he returned to New Zealand twice, with support from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, each time exhibiting in spaces throughout the country. He returned to New Zealand, permanently in 1990. He lives in Auckland.

research from http://www.google.com/