Brett Graham : Tai Moana Tai Tangata

In 2018 Brett Graham (Ngati Koroki Kahukura, Tainui) spent six weeks in Taranaki as the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery's artist-in-residence. Connecting with tangata whenua and his extended whanau, Graham researched the history of the relationship between Taranaki and Tainui Maori, focussing on the pact of solidarity forged during the New Zealand Wars, a relationship known today as Te Kiwai o te Kete.

Tai Moana Tai Tangata conjures up the territories held between Taranaki and Tainui Maori. Defined by the black sands of Te Uru (the west coast), this area reaches from Manukau in the north to Ohawe in the south. This landscape is marked by monuments that open portals to the past and cast the lessons learned by our ancestors into the future. These prophetic visions forecast a dark world corrupted by human endeavour and issue a grave warning in the present.

This catalogue captures the 2020-21 exhibition at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, significantly extending the themes, narratives and histories captured by the artist in that standout exhibition.