Multimedia artist Conor Jeory (Ngati Porou) says his artistic training has come from the university of life, which has lately seen him learning to sew - enabling him to make korowai (cloaks) from animal skins. Learning to knit is also on the cards.
'I've had pneumonia recently so I need to rest and I've been thinking this might be a good time to learn how to knit so that I can make knitted korowai,' he says. Part of his motivation in using novel materials and processes is simply to see if I can do it. But there are also layers of meaning carried by the materials he chooses. For his Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae 1796 Cloak, he hand stitched sections of rabbit, sheep and fox fur, from fur coats donated by friends. A recurring concern is the damage wrought by pests and the loss of biodiversity following intensive farming and logging, so using fur from introduced species felt right. He can also call on a number of owners of woolly dogs when he needs decorative fur tufts and clippings for the cloaks.
Conor, who lives in Gisborne, is one of 29 artists currently showing in Mauri Ora The essence of all things, at Aratoi. The artists are all represented by Kura Gallery, which focuses on Maori and New Zealand-made art and design, with spaces in Wellington and Auckland. If animal skin seems like an unlikely material for korowai, Conor points out that some of the earliest examples in Te Papa are made from dog skins. 'When Maori first arrived in New Zealand they needed things to keep them warm straight away, so they used skins from rats, moa, birds and dogs. You can see some of these have the ears and tails of the animals included as well.'
Another theme is the violence simmering in New Zealand society, hence his series of animal skin coats with gang insignia picked out in fur. His Cardinal Pou Whenua’ is a potent image in the show. Yes, it’s quite a violent image, he agrees, calling to mind many associations from a river god to the haka and pukna, traditionally used to create shock and fear: it evokes that power that can be called upon if needed. Conor is currently working on a series of carvings based on a deconstructed meeting house. Mauri Ora is on display until 4 December.
Caption: Artist Conor Jeory (Ngati Porou) with Cardinal Pou Whenua (totara & plastikote spray paint) and Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae 1796 Cloak.
WHAT'S ON DATES:
This week:
Kura Gallery at Aratoi: Mauri Ora - The essence of all things, until 4 Dec; One Postcard a Day: Steffen Kreft, until 13 Dec; VISION / MEMORY: Marie E. Potter installation,
until 4 Dec; Robin White with Ruha Fifita: Ko e Hala Hangatonu: The Straight Path, until 15 Nov; Kuia Mau Moko: photographs by Marti Friedlander, an exhibition on Maori
tattooing, until 15 Nov.
Aratoi Event:
Art Writers Event with Rudy Casteneda Lopez and Janet Colson: The launch of a coming of age story with discussion around the theme of art in literature in 1960s. Aratoi,
Sat 31 October, 2:30pm - 3:30pm.
Next week:
Kura Gallery at Aratoi: Mauri Ora - The essence of all things, until 4 Dec; One Postcard a Day: Steffen Kreft, until 13 Dec; VISION / MEMORY: Marie E. Potter installation,
until 4 Dec; Robin White with Ruha Fifita: Ko e Hala Hangatonu: The Straight Path, until 15 Nov; Kuia Mau Moko: photographs by Marti Friedlander, an exhibition on Maori
tattooing, until 15 Nov.
Aratoi Event:
Art Writers Event with Rudy Casteneda Lopez and Janet Colson: The launch of a coming of age story with discussion around art in literature in 1960s. Aratoi, Sat 31
October, 2:30pm - 3:30pm.