Introduction day - Maori art and Micheal Parekowahi

Art History first Impressions

Resting Bull

carved red grand piano

The topics that we are doing this year are very differently from last year with the focus from classical/ renaissance and western works changing to ones that focus on a bit closer to home such as Maori art, and Asian art which is something that I haven't given much thought to in comparison to European art. While I have learnt a small bit about Maori art European art is always commonly taught, and favored over Maori art which is disappointing, because I feel its much more valuable to New Zealanders than European art. Maori art allows us to see things from the perspective of Maori in terms of colonization, their values and their story's/myths which were commonly presented through wooden carvings and sculptures. Another thing that I  find interesting is how New Zealanders have taken old  Maori traditions into a contemporary setting, one such artist is Micheal Parekowhai who's Maori background and values have dramatically impacted his work. In 2011 Parekowhai represented New Zealand in the 54th Venice Biennale with his sculpture on Chapman Homer, its name derived from an 1819 John Keats poem. The sculpture features 3 grand pianos two featuring bulls on top of the piano, one calm and resting, the other standoffish and aggressive the last piano is an intricately carved red grand piano featuring traditional Maori carvings.  This artwork heavily draws from Maori tradition and values from the intricate carvings along the red piano to the rolls and curves on the bulls body, acting as a representation of the roles and tumbles in the landscape, something that Maori people  valued heavily.