Overview
View work by the renowned contemporary Pacific artist, writer
and poet John Pule.
The Gallery is the final venue in a nationwide tour, arranged by
City Gallery Wellington, which brings some of Pule's major works
back to his hometown.
Niuean-born Pule grew up and lives in Auckland. The exhibition
surveys his career from one of its key turning points, in 1991,
when he travelled back to Niue and reconnected with its traditional
art of hiapo (barkcloth painting). The exhibition is
curated by Gregory O'Brien and Aaron Lister.
A highlight of the exhibition is the inclusion of some of Pule's
strongest works on paper, which include both image and text. These
show Pule's equivalent strengths as a poet and painter, asking to
be read as well as viewed.
His work has been included in exhibitions in Europe, America,
Asia and Australia. Major collections are held at the Queensland
Art Gallery and as far afield as the National Gallery of Scotland.
In 2004, Pule was honoured with the prestigious Laureate Award from
the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.
Since the mid-1980s, John Pule has explored performance, poetry,
literature and painting, all drawing upon his Niuean culture but
placed within a contemporary context. Today he is a prominent
cultural figure within New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region, and
plays a pivotal role in the presentation of contemporary Pacific
culture.
17 December 2011 - 25 March 2012
Level 2
Free entry
A City Gallery Wellington Te Whare
Toi touring exhibition
City Gallery Wellington is managed by the Wellington Museums
Trust with major funding support from the Wellington City
Council.
National touring sponsor
Supported by
View the listing for the Voyager Maritime Museum
exhibition Kermadec, which contains artwork by John Pule,
in our Neighbourhood
events section.
Image: John Pule, Niniko lalolagi/Dazzling World, 2004,
oil and ink on canvas, private collection