Toi o Tahuna Gallery announce new exhibition

Front Room Gallery and Toi o Tahuna Gallery announce new exhibition by Gareth Barlow

A new exhibition of paintings by Sydney based New Zealand artist Gareth Barlow opens 6pm Friday 3 July at Front Room Gallery, 10 Memorial Street, Queenstown. The show, curated by Toi o Tahuna Gallery is the result of a life-long journey for Gareth Barlow, "It is a reflection of my pride in being a New Zealander, my respect for the country’s history, and my admiration for its people. It tells the story of how I fit in, how I connects with the Tangata Whenua, and how I finally came to feel a sense of belonging."

Gareth was born in Wellington’s Hutt Valley in 1971 and lived there until 2000. Through his uncle, he has family ties to Ngã Puhi, and his closest friend is Ngãti Toarangatira and a direct descendant of Te Rauparaha. Due to these connections as well as his local schooling and neighbourhood, he came to develop a deep interest in Mãori culture that remains with him until this day.

"I always take particular care in embedding deep cultural significance in my works. To do this I knew I needed to research deeper into the indigenous history of New Zealand. Through my studies, the words and philosophies of past Rangatira and other prominent Mãori figures started resonating with me in deeply profound ways.

What stood out to me the most was the way Mãori viewed and respected the land. I read about Tãwhiao, the second Mãori king from Ngãti Mahuta, who spoke of how Pãkehã viewed the land merely as a commodity. And how they were oblivious to its true essence and value as a sacred entity that not only represented the Earth Mother, but also held the ancestors of generations of Tangata Whenua.

I also read about Te Hapuku of Ngãti Te Whatu-i-apiti who, as he drew his final breaths, asked to be laid to rest on his side so he would have an eternal view of his beloved sacred mountain.

Stories like these struck a chord with me. As a Pãkehã, I’d often battled inside myself for a sense of belonging. My ancestors came from Scotland and Ireland and I’d never actually been face to face with a blood relative born outside of New Zealand. I'd never felt a connection to those parts of the world as I’d only ever known New Zealand, but also felt the deep history of the land where I lived was not part of my ancestry.

These feelings changed when I contemplated that the land where I’d grown up, the land that had nurtured me, not only contained the spirits of five generations of my family, it also had many generations of Tangata Whenua resting within it. From there on I felt a spiritual connection to the land and an overwhelming sense of belonging.

As an illustrator, the main technique I pursued was pointillism illustration, which uses the distribution of fine dots to create photo-realistic images. Art practices and philosophies associated with indigenous Australian art also resonated with me.

Then, after seeing a digital 3D-mapping program that used lines to show a landscape’s contours and undulations, I thought I could use a similar technique with dots to bring to life the story of my connection to the land of Aotearoa.

For years I have studied portraits of Mãori from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as those by Charles F Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer. I was particularly struck by their eyes, which showed both the mana and the pain of a proud generation who lived through so much change.

To me, these images connected the original New Zealand with the country I know today. By including the faces of these great Rangatira (chiefs) within my painted landscapes, I have attempted to express my pride in having a connection with a people and a culture that has helped make me who I am today."

ENDS

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