Ngataiharuru Taepa
Kimihia te mea ngaro
Ngataiharuru Taepa’s interest in the detailed patterns of kowhaiwhai was sparked after helping to paint kowhaiwhai panels in the whare tipuna: Te Whare o Rangi at Te Aute College when he was a student. Since then, kowhaiwhai has been a continual source of inspiration in his practice. Taepa’s works in ‘Telecom Prospect 2007’ explore the complexities found within kowhaiwhai and the way that these relate to people and their environment.
He Rau Kawakawa (2006) is an elegant freestanding pou which stands tall in the gallery space. Its seductive high gloss finish serves to draw you in close to see the detail of the unravelling kowhaiwhai patterning, yet its almost mirror-like reflective finish also serves to keep some things hidden. Taepa has described this work as ‘a lament and at the same time a celebration of the lives of the people who have recently left us’. The kawakawa plant is known for its medicinal qualities and this work acts as a rongoa for those left behind. For Taepa, this work reminds him of the whakatauki ‘kimihia te mea ngaro’ (pursue the unseen/unobtainable) which he relates to whakapapa and the ties that bind us to our ancestors and the past.
Te Wai Tai, Te Wao Tu (2007) is a separate work that was inspired after Taepa attended a wananga hosted by Te Roroa in the Waipoua Forest, Northland, in 2006. As he describes it, the work, ‘expresses the visual connections made between the Waipoua Forest and Ripiro Beach at that time and connects people with their elders, the fish, the trees, those things that were here long before people’. This work gains a particular poignancy when we discover that, as this work was being created by Taepa, a forest fire threatened to encroach upon the Waipoua Forest’s ancient kauri trees, including the majestic Tane Mahuta.
Sarah Farrar and Julie Noanoa
Ngataiharuru Taepa artist bio:
Born Upper Hutt, 1976
Te Arawa, Te Āti Awa
Lives and works in Palmerston North
Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts, Massey University, Palmerston North; Master of Māori Visual Arts, Massey University, Palmerston North
Selected solo exhibitions include: ‘He Rau Kawakawa’ Tinakori Gallery, Wellington (2006); ‘RaHui: Principle of Regulation’, Te Manawa, Palmerston North (2005).
Selected group exhibitions include: ‘Manawa taki—the pulsing heart’, Michael Hirschfeld Gallery (2005); ‘Te Whare Toi’, The Dowse, Lower Hutt, (2004); ‘He Rere Kee: Taking Flight’, Tinakori Gallery, Wellington, (2004), ‘Conversation Pieces’, Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, Wellington (2003).
Image credits:
Ngataiharuru Taepa
He Rau Kawakawa 2006
solvent based paint, wood and PVC pipe
Courtesy of the artist and Tinakori Gallery, Wellington
Te Wai Tai, Te Wao Tu 2007
mild steel, solvent based paint
Courtesy of the artist and Tinakori Gallery, Wellington