From the Shore

'From the Shore' considers the influence filmmakers Maori Barry Barclay and Merata Mita have had on a current generation of artists.

The exhibition brings together moving image artworks by Venice Biennale artists Lisa Reihana (New Zealand) and Tracey Moffatt (Australia), alongside commissioned works by Tanu Gago, Robert George, Nova Paul and Linda T. Tuafale (aka Linda T).

Like Barclay and Mita, the six artists share concerns about what it means to represent indigenous people, places and ideas on screen.

Barry Barclay (1944-2008) and Merta Mita (1942-2010) were trailblazers in indigenous filmmaking, creating films by Māori, about Māori, for Māori. Through their work, Barclay and Mita set out core concerns of indigenous filmmaking, always with a consistent focus on cultural sovereignty.

As the first (respectively) male and female indigenous directors of a feature film, and through the rich body of work they have left behind, they have become reference points for artists across the globe.

While all six contemporary artists work in documentary or cinema, their approaches vary. Capturing clichés through montage, subverting conventional tropes or searching for evocative images and symbols, they are all aiming for a fuller representation of indigenous people. Many of their production strategies have been taken directly from Barclay and Mita’s work.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a film programme courtesy of Nga Taonga Sound & Vision, including 'Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen', the 2018 documentary by Merata Mita's youngest son Hepi.

Pataka Sunday opening hours: 11am - 4:30pm.