Te Kaupapa — About
Our art exhibition Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness weaves together Māori, Aboriginal, Kanaka Maoli - Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Fijian, Indian Australian and New Zealand artists under the korowai - protective cloak of the United Nations.
Artists have been invited to create works that reflect their unique cultural perspectives and artistic expressions in relation to te taiao - the natural environment and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. All of the artworks are grounded in the guiding kaupapa - theme of Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness.
Indigenous voices are brought forward and honoured within our exhibition revealing distinct points of view to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Many of the exhibiting artists have a long history of art-making that conveys issues and concerns relating to te taiao.
Our lead artwork "Toa" by Baye Pewhairangi Riddell holds the stance of a Kaiwero - Challenger and is symbolic of the warrior qualities of courage, honour, respect, protection of whanau - family, leadership, skill, determination and perseverance. His work echoes the ancient forms of Ngā Toi Māori - Māori Art, while laying down the wero, kua takato te mānuka - a challenge, to consider the stand we are making for Te Tai Ao - our natural environment today.
Many of Baye's powerful sculptures are derived from Papatūānuku - the Earth Mother, they appear to be literally pulled up from the earth. He often works with uku - clay sourced from his family land on the East Coast of Aotearoa - New Zealand.
Paula Rigby weaves with natural fibres, within her art practice, she lives and breathes the responsibilities of a kairaranga - weaver, being a kaitiaki - guardian of one of our taonga species, most precious plants, harakeke - flax. As a kaiako - teacher Paula continues to pass on intergenerational knowledge, ensuring the continuation of raranga - weaving.
Ella Brewer and Tiffany Singh present works that honour our binding connection to nature. Their work includes flora, which acknowledges the medicinal properties of plants and precious metals, as gifts from the earth's crust. The inclusion of New Zealand’s earth in the works connects us to the terra energies of Aotearoa.
The world is a beautiful place but it has a lot of challenges. As humans and as nations, we are understanding that we have to take collective action to ensure the survival of the earth as we know it. This is why, in 2015, the United Nations established seventeen goals towards achieving sustainability by 2030.
In 2020, in Aotearoa - New Zealand, seventeen visual artists have come together to express, in their unique voices, a call towards sustainability. Each artist has associated one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with their work so we can contemplate our role, as peoples and countries, in achieving the goals set by the United Nations.
A moment with the Poutiaki Toi – Curator
Here our Poutiaki Toi – Curator, Piri Cowie speaks about Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness in an impromptu short interview with Simon Woolf during the exhibition in the Public Trust Hall.
The Team
Jill Oakley
Tumu Whakaputa – Producer and Managing Director
Jill Oakley is proud to present Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness in Te Whanganui a Tara - Wellington, New Zealand, in partnership with Wellington City Council and United Nations Association Of New Zealand and sharing its message with as wide an audience as possible.
“I attended a workshop on the SDGs at the United Nations in New York and I knew I needed to dedicate a good part of my life to promoting sustainability. Having presented Exhibition Coexistence, an exhibition of 45 billboard works in Waitangi Park, Wellington, to 8,000 people that explored harmony between cultures and supported and recognised that all cultures and their identity are important, I wanted to create an exhibition with artwork exploring our connection to our land and culture, our impact on the natural world and our understanding of the place we live and depend on. This addressed Te Taiao - the natural environment and the SDGs and inspired engagement from a unique Aotearoa perspective”.
– Jill Oakley
Piri Cowie
Poutiaki Toi – Curator
He uri a Piri o Kāti Huirapa, ko Uruao, ko Takitimu, ko Araiteuru ngā waka. Ko Kāi Tahu te iwi. I te taha o tōna hākui ko Ngāpuhi me Ngāti Kahu ōna iwi.
“I was born and raised in Te Waipounamu. Toi Māori is the backbone of my art practice. I am passionate about sharing the beauty, depth, diversity and wairua of Contemporary Māori art and culture with our wider communities, creating connections across cultures. Currently I am extending my skills and focus of creating art for public spaces to adorning the human scale, creating figurative, rākai - contemporary Māori adornment”.
– Piri Cowie
Simon Bowden
Director of public programming
During his time as Executive Director of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, Simon developed a deep interest in exploring the perspectives of artists. He is in his happy place when facilitating discussion with artists so that we can participate more thoroughly in art practice. Simon also cares deeply about sustainability and the power of the arts to bring about change in society.
Sharne teh
Designer and Project Coordinator
A web and graphic design graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce background, Sharne brings her critical eye, organisation, and knowledge to contribute to the development of Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness—overseeing our visual branding, marketing collateral and digital channels.
“I love being able to help craft unique stories and ideas to life; helping others to create their vision and deliver wonderful visuals and experiences for their audience is something I’ve always been passionate about. I find it incredibly rewarding to be part of Whenua Ūkaipō Connectedness, a project with such a meaningful message to give. It’s also very inspiring to be able to work with and support other amazing creatives”.
– Sharne Teh