Buyers Spend $1 Million On Contemporary Maori Art

Buyers Spend $1 Million On Contemporary Maori Art

A million dollars worth of contemporary Maori artwork sold at the first MAORI MARKet where more than 100 leading and emerging artists had work on display.

The work filled the TSB Bank Arena on Wellington’s Queens Wharf and attracted 7000 people including international collectors from North America. The world-class event was the largest ever exhibition and sale of contemporary Maori art from throughout New Zealand. Guest Native American artists Lillian Pitt and Denise Wallace featured alongside the Maori artists.

Paintings, sculpture, clay art, cloaks, stonework, wood carving and jewellery sold and as fast as it walked out the door, it was replaced with new material.

MAORI MARKet was modelled on the enormously successful Indian Market in North America. It was organised and promoted by Toi Maori, a charitable trust set up by leading Maori artists to foster and promote contemporary Maori arts.

The event, which was opened by Sir Howard Morrison, also included story tellers, musicians, poets, kapa haka and live displays of weaving, ta moko, carving, clay work and a show of contemporary Maori fashion.

Toi Maori General Manager Garry Nicholas said the success of MAORI MARKet guaranteed it would be staged again in two years with plans already underway to make it bigger and even more interactive.

“It is part of a 10 year plan and our first MAORI MARKet has exceeded all of our expectations,” Mr Nicholas said. “Already the artists are planning for the next event and thinking about artwork they will create.”

Mr Nicholas said several major exhibitions had toured North America, and the success at home was a platform to launch more exhibitions internationally where the work is a “hot” collectable commodity.

“This is a springboard for a range of other Maori activities like tourism. International buyers become curious and want to come to New Zealand and meet the artists and see the country that has inspired the work,” Mr Nicholas said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media