In My Dreaming I Saw MOE IHO NEI I AU
One of New Zealand's most celebrated photographers returns to Wellington with a series on displacement.
Overview
Fiona Pardington, one of New Zealand's most celebrated photographers, begins her bonafide takeover of Wellington's white spaces with In My Dreaming I Saw - MOEA IHO NEI I AU. This will be the artist's sixth solo-exhibition at Cuba Street's {Suite} Gallery.
The exhibition takes its title from a line of song in 'He Waiata Aroha Ki Te Whenua Tipu', translated to 'A Song of Love for a Native Land'. A waiata penned by an unknown author, and perfectly captures the melancholy one experiences in yearning for ones own land – an all too familiar sensation for many who have travelled.
In My Dreaming I Saw is a curation of hand printed photographs of heitiki from various provenances, including those in collection at Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum observed during Pardington's Master of Fine Arts. The titles of some works, such as Fake Tiki (Scary) and Sad Fake Bone Heitiki suggests some of the artifacts have been stamped with dubious origins - an interesting subject in itself.
The exhibition runs from 6 to 29 August, {Suite} Gallery.