Tūmatauenga / Humanity

Absolution

Tūmatauenga / Humanity

"It is one of many works he has made in recent years dealing through sculpture and video with the cross-cultural complexities of the war on terror as it relates to Māori. A carved giant wooden bowl (reminiscent to me of an ink well) of a design of well to be found in a mosque courtyard, filled with oil rather than the expected water, features the reflection of a projection of a child wielding in fluid gentle movements a tewhatewha (club). The boy is dressed as the 18th century Tahitian Omai, as portrayed by English painter Joshua Reynolds. As absolution refers to the cleansing of sins – this work quietly, powerfully suggests that past injustices always live on in new generations and cannot be absolved by anything other than peace." (Mark Amery for The Big Idea)

2008
Carved wood with DVD projection
410 x 1900mm (diameter)
Projection 1135mm diameter