Natalie Robertson

W15/4.4 Te Kooti Road 1998

W15/4.4 Te Kooti Road 1998 by Natalie Robertson

Artwork Detail

I te rautau 19 me te tīmatanga o te rautau 20, i te wā o ngā kauhanga riri ka whānako whenua te Pākehā, i whakataurekarekatia e ia te ahurea; ko tā te rangatira Māori o taua wā, he ārahi, he whakaū i te tūmanako ki te iwi. Ko tā Natalie Robertson he kimi, he tango whakaahua, o ngā pou rori i tapaina ai ki ngā ingoa o ngā kaihautū ā-ahurea, ā-torangapū, ā-whakapono – nā rātou i whakapau kaha ki te pupuri i te mana motuhake. Kua kōhia ngā mahi toi takitahi o te raupapatanga *The Prophets (Ngā Poropiti)*, 2001, ā, kei te whakaaturia hei kāhui e kōrero ana tētahi ki tētahi – he āhuatanga e kore e kitea i te oranga o aua poropiti. He mahi tūpono noa nā te huranga takitini, ko tā *W15/4.4 Te Kooti Road 1998*, 2001 he whakakikonga o te wairua o te tangata—te kaihanga o te pono Ringatū—he tangata rongonui i tōna atamai ki te karo i te kaiaru.

He pai ki a Robertson te whakaingoa, te hoahoa hoki i ngā tikanga me te titiro ki ngā pānga o aua tikanga e hāngai ai ki tā tātou whakapā, tā tātou pāhekoheko, ki te whenua. Nā te mea kua tāpareparetia ngā tohu rori e te rangi o te pō, kua mukua te horopaki me te ahunga. Nā reira kua miramirahia e Robertson te āhuatanga māmā noa iho o te tohu rori, ka mutu ka taea te huna, te whakarūnā te māramatanga e ngāwari ai, e kaitara ai, e apaapangia ai, mō ngā poropiti ko rātou te kaupapa o tēnei toi, ka mutu ka ora tonu atu ā rātou ōhākī ki roto i te whenua me te iwi.

During 19th and early 20th century colonial land confiscations and cultural suppression, visionary and influential Māori leaders provided direction and hope for their followers. Natalie Robertson located and photographed road signs named after cultural, political and spiritual leaders who strove to maintain mana motuhake – Māori authority. The individual works in the series *The Prophets (Ngā Poropiti)*, 2001 are in conversation with each other – a situation that never occurred in the lifetimes of their namesakes. Made through a fortuitous multiple exposure, *W15/4.4 Te Kooti Road 1998*, 2001 embodies a man—founder of the Ringatū faith—who was renowned for his ability to elude capture.

Robertson is interested in the power of naming and mapping practices and their effects on how we think about, relate to and interact with the land. Framing the road signs against the night sky removes their context and orientation function. In doing so Robertson highlights the reductive nature of the uniform road sign, which can obscure the legacies of the individuals named, which live on in the land and people.

Title
W15/4.4 Te Kooti Road 1998
Artist/creator
Natalie Robertson
Production date
2001
Medium
digital print on Dibond
Dimensions
800 x 1200 x 17 mm
Credit line
Courtesy of the artist
Accession no
X2020/147/1
Copyright
Copying restrictions apply
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

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