NGAHERE BEHIND A PILE OF METAL

Comissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, curated by Melanie Oliver

While there are no trees in Ngahere behind a pile of metal, this installation by Ana Iti (Te Rarawa, Ngāi Tūpoto, Ngāti Here, Pākehā) references the tools and infrastructure of kauri logging, an industry that flourished in Te Tai Tokerau during the nineteenth century. The title alludes to a conversation the artist had with her uncle, who gave her directions to find kauri on her hapū land.

The drawing that stretches across the walls in this space was created using charcoal from burnt kauri timber, the large saw teeth cutting into the substructure of the gallery. The chain and metal pipe sculpture is a sort of drawing too, riffing on the form of a marine crane, or the way that logs are bound together for transport in waterways.

The relationship of rākau to wai is important here, reflecting the kinship of kauri to tohorā, the Southern right whale. Both now face the threat of extinction – their plight a sign of broader ecological devastation and species annihilation. Iti suggests that a meaningful response to climate change adaptation must address the pile of metal, the structures and legacies of resource extraction. Can we shift our mindset to one of sustainable balance with the environment?

- Melanie Oliver

A piece of writing Ōmutu by Nadine Hura was commisioned in reponse to this exhibition.

Chain, steel, kauri charcoal, charcoal powder
Photo: John Collie