Peter Robinson (Artist research)
Artist research:
Name: Peter Robinson
Where are they from and where are they now:
eter Robinson (born 1966 in Ashburton) is a New Zealand artist of Māori (Kai Tahu) descent
He is also an Associate Professor at the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland
Robinson studied sculpture at the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury between 1985 and 1989
Peter Robinson is an important figure in the wave of second generation Māori artists that emerged in the late eighties
Robinson's work has been exhibited extensively in New Zealand and internationally. He was New Zealand’s representative at the 49th Venice Biennale (2001), participated in the 13th Istanbul Biennale (2013), 11th and 18th Biennale of Sydney (1998/2012) and the 8th Baltic Triennale of International Art, Vilnius (2002).
Peter Robinson of Māori (Kai Tahu) descent.
Artwork (for each relevant piece):
Name of work: Exhibition: Tribe Subscribe
What is it, and what is it made of:
Audiences are invited to take part to create a series of colourful felt sticks in the gallery, bringing together conceptual minimalism with craft traditions.
artist's recent interest in bringing together strangers to co-create with him. On opening day the gallery floor will be filled with a carpet of hundreds of small felt rings, while a stack of coloured aluminium rods stand by. Visitors are encouraged to select a rod and feed rings on to it, creating a unique felt stick.
Image:
What does it mean/represent:
Different people of different cultures creating together
Connection to culture:
His journey then saw him play a large part in bi-cultural debate through the late 80s and early 90s, becoming renowned for his provocative and controversial treatment of racial issues, ethnicity and identity
Robinson's early works were concerned with personal and racial issues as he analysed and responded to his part-Maori heritage. He used painting and sculpture to wittily critique assumed aspects of bi-culturalism, the branding of ethnicity, and careerist strategizing - while simultaneously embracing them
Connection to collonialism:
He is bicultural
Critique/response to artwork:
Well known in New Zealand for dealing with issues such as race relations in a provocative and controversial manner, Peter Robinson's practice has been characterised by elements of shock and surprise.
He found that art critics began to stereotype him as a Maori artist but that personally he was not able to work in traditional Maori forms because this felt 'inauthentic'. Recognising this he changed direction and shocked art critics by adopting both Pakeha (non-Maori) and Maori voices often in a contradictory way. From this bi-cultural perspective Robinson could incisively comment on the complexities of race relations, both historical and contemporary, in New Zealand.
Artist further/other work/development:
However, once Peter had felt this phase of his career had run its course, and for fear of being perpetually type-cast as an identity artist, Peter leapt into new territory and revisited his interest in Post Minimalism and Arte Povera, which he had been drawn to in his first year at Ilam
He created a series known as the Percentage Paintings in the early 1990s that discussed his specific racial make-up. The works posed the question to the viewer – should a percentage of Maori blood determine his personal and social character, and his importance as an artist?
Ritual and Formation: A collection of aluminium poles, uniform in height, are threaded with various sizes of black, white and grey felt circles. The felt configuration recalls barcodes and images of DNA assays. There is the sense that Ritual and Formation, 2013 contains a complex language and verification system that we must scan to understand. The process of searching for a familiar or recognisable element within a work like Ritual and Formation is an important aspect of the artwork. Robinson invites multiple readings by bringing his work ever so close to operating as language yet nonetheless retaining an uncompromising engagement with materiality. wool felt, aluminium rods. 2600 x 9750 x 500 mm
Pakeha have rights too (1997), challenged both liberal and red-neck audiences alike. In these two works, Robinson tackles McCahon and his legacy head on. oil on linen, 2000 x 1800mm
He adopts McCahon’s reduced palette, dealing with the binary opposition of black and white to reflect upon the questions of race implicit in both their works.
Sources:
http://dowse.org.nz/exhibitions/detail/peter-robinson-tribe-subtribe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Robinson_(artist)
http://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/peter-robinson
https://ocula.com/artists/peter-robinson/
http://hopkinsonmossman.com/artist/?artist=Peter+Robinson&bio
https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Peter%20Robinson%20(artist)&sr=50
https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/explore-art-and-ideas/artwork/20217/ritual-and-formation
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Pakeha-Have-Rights-Too-/103D4C861681F8E7
What I have learnt:
Because he is a Maori artist he can deal with issues of culture and identity in a ‘provocative’ and ‘controversial’ manner and be praised for it.
He has the right to talk about Maori and Pakeha because of his heritage. He belongs to both groups
He didn’t use Maori forms
