From Porirua to Venice: Ioana Gordon-Smith & the Biennale buzz
31 May 2024, Ioana Gordon-Smith
This article first appeared in The Post, 31 May 2024
This article first appeared in The Post, 31 May 2024
For the past few weeks, the New Zealand art world has been basking in the afterglow of Mataaho Collective’s Golden Lion win at the 50th Venice Biennale. New Zealand has participated in the Biennale since 2001, and it’s a massive undertaking. This time, rather than presenting a national pavilion, Creative New Zealand supported eight Māori artists to participate in the Biennale’s curated exhibition, Stranieri Ovunque: Foreigners Everywhere. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, in 2024 it was particularly large, featuring 331 artists including Mataaho Collective.
Mataaho Collective is a collective of four Māori artists: Erena Arapere- Baker, Sarah Hudson, Bridget Reweti and Terri Te Tau. They presented their large-scale installation, Takapau, at the entrance the Arsenale ‒ a prime location in the exhibition.
Takapau was originally commissioned by Dr Nina Tonga for Te Papa Tongarewa’s Threshold Gallery. For the Venice Biennale, there were some differences in the work: changes have been made to allow for four pillars to climb through the work, the works are hung and angled higher in the space, and the reflective side of the high-vis tie-down material has been placed facing down. With natural light beaming through the front entrance and casting rainbows over the work, the overall effect is almost religious.
There are two highly sought-after Golden Lions awarded at each Biennale, with the other one going to Indigenous artist Archie Moore for his exhibition Kith and Kin at the Australian Pavilion. Without any trace of trans-Tasman rivalry, this was a particularly significant moment for Indigenous art from our side of the world. Moore’s award also represents the first time Australia, who has participated in the Biennale since the 1950s, has won a Golden Lion. Together, the Golden Lions for Indigenous art from Aotearoa and the land we know as Australia felt significant of something deeper.
Mataaho Collective and Archie Moore’s wins came at a time of a heightened Indigenous and political presence at the Biennale. During the preview week, for example, the artist and curators of the Israeli national pavilion announced that they wouldn’t open until “a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached” in Gaza. Nearby, the Brazilian Pavilion was renamed the Hãhãwpuá Pavilion, referring to the name the Pataxó people used for Brazil. Elsewhere, Jeffrey Gibson and Innuteq Storch became the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States and Denmark respectively.
Emerging from these enormous and well-deserved accolades for Mataaho Collective and Archie Moore, it will be interesting to see how Indigenous arts continue to be supported here at home. New Zealand loves nothing more than international recognition, and it gets no bigger than the Golden Lion. How might this inform New Zealand participation in the Biennale going forward, and what increased attention on the globally relevant Indigenous art practices might be offered here at home?
At Pātaka, we’re proud of Mataaho Collective’s achievements in Venice and beyond. We’re also thrilled to have their work currently on display as part of the group show Paraikete Threads and to be a vital part of the global Indigenous arts community that has so unanimously caught attention at this year’s Venice Biennale.
