Wi Taepa: Retrospect

Pātaka Art+Museum

9 October 2016 - 12 February 2017

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

28 April – 2 September 2018

I curated this exhibition for one of my mentors, teachers and good friend Wi Taepa to acknowledge the monumental achievements of his lifetime’s work as an uku (clay) artist. The exhibition opened and Pātaka Art+Museum in 2016 and toured to Auckland At Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2018, where the title was project was adjusted with input from Curator Māori Nigel Borrell, including the addition of several new works and an updated title Retrospective (previously titled Retrospect).

At the bottom of this page is a readable PDF of the original catalogue essay that I wrote for the exhibition when it opened at Pātaka in 2016. You can scroll through the catalogue to read all about Wi Taepa’s life and practice.

Note, the catalogue was updated when it toured to Auckland Art Gallery in 2018, with an additional essay by Nigel Borrell and an opening introduction Auckland Art Gallery Te Haerewa Māori Advisory Committee Chair Elizabeth Ellis.