New art exhibition in New Plymouth focuses on the frail conditions of waterways.
Federico Marin, Taranaki Daily News, December 1, 2022.
Environmentalism is at the core of the latest exhibition at New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre.
Te Au – Liquid Constituencies will open on December 3 and features works by 11 artists from countries touched by the Pacific Ocean.
While much of the art will raise questions about the frail condition of the ocean and freshwater, art group Te Waituhi ā Nuku: Drawing Ecologies' pieces will showcase low-tech, low-cost solutions to “overcoming the impacts of colonial, intensified agriculture”.
A wall of pictures will demonstrate how tree branches and natural charcoal, also known as biochar, packed inside biodegradable coffee bags can filter water in streams, a technique experimented by artist Huhana Smith, who is part of Te Waituhi ā Nuku: Drawing Ecologies.
“Biochar helps retain water and creates a water filter. It absorbs and takes nitrates and phosphates out of the waters, so it has water-healing properties,” she said.
Smith, who is also the head of the school of art at Massey University in Wellington, hoped these artworks would resonate with the Taranaki public and open a conversation on the damage intensified agriculture and extractive industries could do to the whenua.
In the exhibition, the public would also find a kiln used to burn charcoal alongside sculptural works, as well as a hemp weed mat with biochar drawings, replicating pukeko footprints.
Taranaki-based Bonita Bigham will be displaying large pieces of dye paper, symbolising the presence of whales in the Taranaki coastline by using Māori patterns.
Bigham said her artwork would be a tribute to the whale stranding that happenend in South Taranaki in 2018.
“It refers to the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge around harvesting resources from those whales,” she said.
Another artist who put indigenous practices and knowledge at the forefront of her art was Megan Cope.
The Quandamooka artist will display Australian shells sinking into cement, as an act to denounce how colonialism eliminated and replaced indigenous culture in her motherland.
Quandamooka people used to collect massive middens of shells, and when the Birtish settlers discovered it they turned the middens into cement.
“The British can come and destroy 36,000 years of culture and history. And turn that into their buildings.
“For me, anti-colonialism is return to Mother Earth. I don’t see really much sense in fighting something that is already so violent, but rather we can remember our stories, remember who we are and remember our practices,” Cope said.
In Aotearoa, 10% of our annual greenhouse gas is nitrous oxide. While it’s commonly known as laughing gas, it has the unfortunate side effect of warming the atmosphere. It’s produced when there’s too much nitrogen in the soil and the tiny microbes convert the nutrient into nitrous oxide. It’s a particular problem on dairy farms. Judicious application of fertiliser, use of inhibiting coatings or eliminating synthetic additives are proven ways to reduce emissions.
Gallery director Zara Stanhope said the exhibition hoped to raise awareness of the frail condition of the Ocean and waterways, and at the same time appreciate “indigenous rights, and the poetry and spirituality of water”.
In addition to the exhibition, the art gallery has worked in collaboration with Wild for Taranaki to develop ecology workshops and activities, which will be starting in 2023.
During these, mana whenua, scientists, educators and artists will engage with the public as part of an ongoing project at Govett-Brewster.
“Artists are taking action, but I think they aren't here to provide the answers. They are here to help us think about the questions, help us think about the world around us, and expand and stimulate our thinking,” Stanhope said.
Clarification: A series of work in the Te Au – Liquid Constituencies exhibition exploring low-tech, low-cost solutions to intensified agriculture was produced by a collective called Te Waituhi ā Nuku: Drawing Ecologies, a collective, not just Huhana Smith as suggested in an earlier version of this story. (Amended 1pm, December 1, 2022)