Mäori visual artist's new carving style in Sydney

Mäori visual artist Israel Birch’s exhibition, Karohirohi – meaning the shimmering light, opens today in Sydney.

Karohirohi includes 12 works – carvings into enamel, lacquer and stainless steel, which Mr Birch describes as "all about movement, light and Mäori spirituality".

Mr Birch (Ngäti Kahungunu – Ngäti Rakaipaaka and Ngä Puhi – Ngäi Tawake) is a Bachelor of Mäori Visual Arts lecturer at the Manawatu campus and enrolled in the master’s programme. As part of his research, he says he has developed a new style of carving into stainless steel and painting on it.

He says the works are based on "bringing out into the open" traditional carving patterns. "I’ve always carved my father was a carver – carving is about bringing the ancestors to life.”

One element that has been a constant in his shows to date is the much-heralded Pacific demigod Maui. “When I create a show I think about carving a whare, Maui is always in my shows – Maui represents pushing forward and exploration.”

In this show Maui takes a 149cm x 82.5cm form much like the infinity symbol – essentially a figure eight standing vertically. “In köwhaiwhai [rafter patterns] and carving the Maui pattern loops in and out of itself. There is a similarity to the infinity pattern – I didn’t plan for that to happen but enjoy the parallel meaning".
Other pieces, Hui te marama, hui te ora (1) and (2), come from a tohi [ritual] or karakia [prayer] involving one of his ancestral canoes – Takitimu Waka. “It means 'by the bringing of light comes life'. What I liked about that was how our people thought about te ao märama [the world of light], growth and whakapapa [genealogy].”

He met the Sydney-based gallery dealer, Martin Browne, who is also a guardian of the Colin McCahon Trust, as a judge after he was a joint winner of the Norsewear Art Award in 2006. Initially, he did not take the invitation extended to him to show in Sydney seriously. “I thought he was joking, and a year later I found out he was for real.” This will be his second solo international exhibition at the gallery.

To support him to participate in this show Mr Birch received one of the University’s $1000 Pürehuroa Professional Development Awards. The show is dedicated to his late father, Ruaanui Sonny Birch.