Reflections on Matarau

Before we say ka kite to Matarau this closing weekend, join curator Shannon Te Ao for reflections on the exhibition.

Central to Matarau are the voices of the artists that speak to their lived experiences as Māori through their artworks. Te Ao will be joined in conversation with Lindsay Bilodeau, a scholar whose research explores the experiences of indigenous museum practitioners. Together, they will reflect and discuss the personal and relational experiences of bringing Matarau to City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi.

Shannon Te Ao (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is an artist, writer and curator whose current research interests include performance and video art practices. The majority of Te Ao's recent artistic output has seen him investigating and responding to material drawn from Māori paradigms, testing the implications of alternative creative, social and linguistic models in relation to contemporary video art and other performative practices

Lindsay Bilodeau (member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, Ontario, Canada) has recently submitted a doctoral thesis engaging in critical Indigenous studies and Museum Studies research at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research focuses on the personal experiences of Indigenous museum practitioners at two national museums: the Canadian Museum of History and Te Papa, revealing insights into the power of Indigenous dreaming and relational practices against the ongoing struggles of indigenous peoples face in museums. Lindsay currently lives and works in Te Whanganui-a-tara.

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