Te Tumu Herenga welcomes artworks from Epsom Campus

Many of  the more than 200 artworks relocated to the University's City Campus from the Epsom Campus were first acquired as part of the Faculty of Education Art Collection. These artworks have been rehung in their new homes here at the City Campus, where they have been curated to spark conversations with other artworks from the wider collection and to contribute to the cultural fabric of new spaces on campus.

The Faculty of Education Art Collection had a distinct collecting focus and retains a unique voice as part of the University of Auckland Art Collection. Many of the artworks were created by artists who were arts educators and graduates of both the faculty and the former Auckland College of Education (ACE). This includes artworks by senior Aotearoa artists such as Robert (Bob) Jahnke (Te Whānau a Rākairoa, Ngāti Porou) and Kura Te Waru-Rewiri-Thorsen (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Rangi). These artworks had been beloved fixtures at the Epsom Campus over the years and have become vital markers of identity for the faculty. It was important that their new curation at the City Campus was intentional and that the artworks were accessible to students and staff who had also relocated.

The curation project happily coincided with the reopening of Levels 1 and M of Te Herenga Mātauranga Whānui | General Library, presenting the opportunity for several artworks from the Epsom Campus to be incorporated within these redesigned spaces. Although the curation of artworks in these spaces differs in intent and feel to a gallery, the intersecting genres and narratives of the artworks feels akin to an exhibition. The Art Collection team sought to bring together a diverse, yet complementary, series of artworks that would fit seamlessly throughout the floors to create welcoming spaces for everyone across the University.

An undoubtable highlight is Reuben Paterson’s shimmering glitter work Relax with Frankie's Whānau (2002), pictured above. Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, hapū of Te Arawa/Tūhoe), a 2001 ACE Primary Teacher Education Graduate,often incorporates the kowhaiwhai pattern and other Māori symbolism to reflect his whakapapa. He almost exclusively creates using glitter, taking inspiration from the naturally occurring shimmers in nature, such as the sun bouncing off water or the glimmering West Coast sand. 

It felt especially vital that the artworks gave context to the Mātauranga Māori
and Pacific Junior Collections which were also relocated from the Sylvia Ashton Warner Library at Epsom Campus to Level 1 of the General Library.

A 2003 series of seven works on paper by Gavin Bishop (Ngāti Pukeko, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Mahuta, Tainui) are installed in a frieze-like orientation between these Junior Collections. The print series, made specifically for educational institutions, is a set of transferred paintings that were water coloured and washed after printing. Beginning with The Birth of Maui, each print portrays a distinctive scene from Māori mythology — depictions of which can also be found in the illustrations of Bishop’s celebrated children’s books on the shelves nearby. Those familiar with the series may notice that it looks refreshed, with new matte boards and frames chosen to better enhance the series within the space.

Physically connecting Levels 1 and M are a set of three woven panels by Alexis Neal (Ngāti Awa, Te Ātiawa), which were previously hanging in the stairwell airspace at the Sylvia Ashton Warner Library. Neal’s practice brings together printmaking on Hahnemühle paper and raranga whakairo (weaving) to create a contemporary form of expression. Mumu I, Kaokao II and Whare hang in procession and occupy space in a unique way as three-dimensional pieces that are situated away from the wall. They introduce layered connections with surrounding artworks, particularly with Maureen Lander’s collaborative harakeke work Te whānau raranga o Waitakere (2018) which was created in
collaboration with the Corban Estate Weaving Circle.

The relocation of the artworks from the Epsom Campus has created a unique opportunity to present surprising and fascinating narratives amongst pieces from the Art Collection. For those wanting to see more, the curation project extends to Levels 5 and 6 of Building 201 where several other artworks of significance from the Epsom Campus have moved, including large-scale pieces by Kura Te Waru-Rewiri-Thorsen, Dean Buchanan and Emily Karaka.