Reclaimed Land: Tāngata, Tiriti, Taiao draws together work by artists who celebrate the work of caring for, and being a part of the environment.
Including new commissions and existing works, Reclaimed Land: Tāngata, Tiriti, Taiao presents an intimate portrait of the earth told through personal, ancestral and collective relationships between he tāngata and te taiao.
These artists suggest that portraits frame the future through acts of reclaiming and returning. They take action for nature, and tell stories of collective futures. They challenge the idea that a portrait can only be of a human image by celebrating the relationships with the environment that we form through deep passion and the recognition of ancestral connections. To tell the human story of the environment these artists draw attention to te taiao through the creative work of balance and restoration, defense, protection, and nurture. Their works open up and reclaim the land, reminding us that to tend to the land is to tend to ourselves.
Curated by Israel Randell and Susan Ballard
Tia Ranginui, Ka Hapai te Rama, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Laree Payne Gallery.