Shane Cotton

The Waka Transformation

The Waka Transformation by Shane Cotton

Artwork Detail

E ai ki a Shane Cotton ko *The Waka Transformation*, 2001 he whakaatu anō i ngā ohonga ā-wairua, ā-ao tūroa a te Māori, i ara ai i te arotakenga o Ngāpuhi i te mōtītī ki te Karaitianatanga, me te āta tirotiro ki te tuakiri o te iwi. Kei te karanga atu ia ki te wairua o te tohunga nō Te Hokianga, a Papahurihia, rātou ko ōna kautautāwhi, he whakaatu i a rātou e haere ana mā runga waka i runga i te kānawehi whēuriuri. Nā tāna mātai i ngā wā o mua, mai i te tirohanga i te uri, kua hangaia e Cotton tētahi hītori o nāianei e tau ai ki ngā wā o mua, heoi he hāngaitanga ki te wā ināianei.

Shane Cotton describes *The Waka Transformation*, 2001 as restaging Māori spiritual and temporal awakenings which was created by reviewing Ngāpuhi acculturation into Christianity and examining tribal identity. He evokes the spirit of acclaimed Hokiangā tohunga (expert, healer) Papahurihia and his loyal followers, depicting them travelling in a waka (canoe) across a dark canvas. By examining moments in history from the perspective a descendant, Cotton creates a contemporary history that is fixed in the past, yet attached to the present.

Title
The Waka Transformation
Artist/creator
Shane Cotton
Production date
2001
Medium
acrylic on canvas
Dimensions
700 x 1000 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 2001
Accession no
2001/14
Copyright
Copying restrictions apply
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

To find out which artworks are available for print requests and reproduction please enquire here. This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection.