Ka Mua, Ka Muri: looking back, moving forward – Pātaka is 25

Pātaka is celebrating 25 years with a month of birthday events. Ours is a brief yet rich history that has seen Pātaka become a vibrant hub of creativity, culture and connection.

Part of the celebrations is the launch of a new book Ka mua, ka muri. Looking back, moving forward: 25 years of Pātaka. The title is taken from a well-known whakatauki Ka mua, ka muri that many know as ‘walking backwards into the future’. The idea aptly suggests that we should reflect and look to the past, to inform the future and to inspire our future.

In the spirit of celebrating 25 years, the publication highlights 25 significant exhibitions and 25 works from our collection. With a rich history of over 800 exhibitions and 22,000 collection objects, we have enjoyed plenty of robust debate of what to include. We have also captured a living chronology—a whakapapa of our exhibition history.

Looking through the history of Pātaka’s exhibition programming, collections, and the countless relationships built throughout it all, one thing is clear: Pātaka has achieved and presented projects that extend beyond our own local history to inform the trajectory of Aotearoa’s art history more widely. We’ve championed emerging and established artists, made space for Māori and Moana art to come to the fore, and established new international connections and relationships that have been sustained across the decades. As I write, our current exhibition Naadohbii: To Draw Water continues Pātaka’s legacy of Indigenous exchanges across nations and hemispheres.

While this is a time for us to look back and traverse the past, it is also a moment to look forward to the horizon ahead. Porirua leads in the country in youth demographics and it competes at a national level in #685 parades. As Pātaka moves into its late 20s, we move in sync with a significant proportion of our community also seeking out their next steps forward. The book suggests that Pātaka’s foundations already offer a strong set of values. Exhibitions like Wi Taepa: Retrospect (2008) remind of us the value of celebrating and acknowledging the contribution of artists working for many years. The show Dark Horizons (2017) recalls that our communities benefit too from experiencing international art and perspectives that offer a different take on the world. And If The Shoe Fits (2002) reveals what stories, cackles and local talent appear when people are given an opportunity.

25 years since Pātaka opened, the arts sector looks a little different. Māori and Moana art—a central pou in Pātaka’s exhibition and collecting history—has more visibility across art spaces in Aotearoa. But that doesn’t mean we take for granted Pātaka’s commitment to these arts. Pātaka has always done what wasn’t possible elsewhere. As the sector catches up, our sense of what is possible specifically at Pātaka now must likewise expand and extend.

As we look back, we move forward with the same intent to contribute to the cultural landscape and shape the artistic discourse of Aotearoa. We extend out from the foundations already established to continue exploring and pushing, and to bring our community with us.

As we celebrate, there’s a lot to be thankful for. From the early efforts of the Mana Community Arts Council and the visionary leadership of Darcy Nicholas to the ongoing support of Porirua City Council, Mayor Anita Baker and Councillors who are regular visitors and advocates; our gratitude extends to the artists, community leaders, curators, educators, staff members, funders, partnering organisations and volunteers who have all contributed to Pātaka’s impressive legacy.

We look forward to celebrating this time with you all.

Extracted, in part, from Ka mua, ka muri. Looking back, moving forward: 25 years of Pātaka edited by Ana Sciascia and Ioana Gordon Smith and launching on 28 October.