Artwork Information

Pākākā is modelled on the artist’s tuakana (older brother) Paratene, a security guard and a very large person in real life. This stereotype of the Māori male, can be linked to after-dark bars, clubs and large events that need crowd control. In the gallery context this work suggests that Pākākā has the power to deny or offer protection... but against what and whom? The title adds to this uncertainty because ‘kapa haka’ is a contemporary term associated with a positive assertion of Māori identity and culture. (Te Moananui a Kiwa, 2005)