"Whangarei's newest sculpture is a two-metre-tall guardian
figure outside the Whangarei Art Museum. It is the work of
well-known Northland ceramic artist Manos Nathan. The project
was commissioned by WAM and funded by a grant from Te Waka
Toi Creative New Zealand Arts Council. Nathan says any accolades
should go to WAM director Scott Pothan for "pulling everyone
on board". "It's very timely-there's a need to push
art in public places and we don't do enough of it."
Mr Pothan
says the figure was intended to convey both welcome and guardianship
- the meaning of its title Kaitiaki - and its soft terracotta
colour of the fired-clay complemented the building's brick
walls and quarry-tiled entrance way and steps. Kaitiaki had
national exposure months ago through the TVNZ programme The
Big Art Trip. Nathan happend to be working on the figure when
the film team visited him early last year. The programme screened
in 2001 and was recently repeated.
The artist
has taken part in many internationally toured exhibitions
of Maori art work , and held at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand
in Wellington and several overseas museums. He has workshops
at his home in Dargaville and on the Matatina marae, Waipoua
Forest, and combines working on commissions with teaching
at Northland Polytechnic.
Note:Article from The Northern Advocate, Saturday, March
30, by Rosemary Roberts.
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