Wairua
Rona Ngahuia Osborne (Clan Fyfe, Clan Caduggan, Kai Tahu), Dan Mace = r e m o t e (Ngati Maru, Ngati Tamatera, Clan O’Boyle)
A Space Main Gallery
September 27 – October 29, 2016
Reception: Friday, October 21, 5 - 8 pm
Artists talk: Friday, October 21, 5:30pm, as part of Art Crawl
Essay by Fiona P. McDonald
The exhibition is proudly presented by A Space Gallery and imagineNATIVE.
The publication is proudly presented by A Space Gallery, imagineNATIVE, and VTape.
In their Canadian exhibition premiere, partners and creative collaborators Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace present three video works connected by wairua, a Maori word for “spirit” or “soul.” Wairua also refers to universal energy, which is a thread evident in the videos presented, each of which utilize abstract personification and sound to explore the Earth (the four triptych piece Elemental), the stars (the seven monitor work WhetÅ«rangi), and human ritual (Te Taki, which welcomes visitors into the gallery with a challenge and an invitation to communicate).
Biographies
RONA NGAHUIA OSBORNE was born in Auckland in 1974, but spent her formative years in the wild bushy mountains of Hokianga in New Zealand’s far north. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts. Rona’s work primarily references cultural and historical themes in Aotearoa, combining strong Maori imagery with colonial symbols. Her work spans a range of mediums, including paint, photography and audio-visual installation. Rona is also well known for her textile work under the moniker Native Agent.
Rona exhibits regularly in both group and solo shows. She has returned to the wilds of Northland, where she lives and works with her husband Dan Mace and two daughters.
After 16 years, DAN MACE still struggles to describe what he does for a living. In a general context what he does involves crafting ideas, alone or with friends, and then communicating them to an audience. In a more practical context, Dan brings these ideas to life across a range of linear and non-linear formats, including animation, illustration, photography, film & television directing, opening titles design, motion-based museum installations, live event visuals, and experiential art projects.
Dan acknowledges his mixed Maori and Irish heritage when discussing his practice.
Both cultures have rich histories of visual communication through traditional art forms such as carving, weaving, performance, and jewellery. Dan’s use of digital media to convey narrative and emotional experience could be described as a contemporary manifestation of indigenous storytelling.
True to his moniker, Dan works with his partner Rona Ngahuia Osborne from a remote mountainous location in the distant far north of Aotearoa New Zealand.