Lot 50: Fiona Pardington Te Huia Kai Manawa - The Huia

Fiona Pardington Te Huia Kai Manawa - The Huia That Consumes My Heart, 2002 C-type, large format, digital, print, edition of 3 1320mm x 1620mm Provenance: Exhibited Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O WaiwetuTe Puawai o Ngai Tahu 10 May - 24 August 2003 Fiona Pardington has a long held interest in photographic still life, and particularly in the communicative power of the subjects she employs. Recent work has seen her explore collections hidden away in museums; items deemed unworthy of display, because they are damaged or have been repaired. To the artist this adds to their power rather than detracts from it. They are survivors with outward signs of use. Each taonga, whether it be hei tiki, mere or bird feather, are displayed on luscious backgrounds, confronting us with their undeniable presence and importance. In this large scale photograph, the presentation of a single elegant feather, glossy blue black and gleaming white, represents a poignant loss of something beautiful. "... she invokes the elusive spirit of the huia. More sacred to Maori than any other bird, the huia was associated with dignity and wisdom, its feathers worn only by chiefs of distinction. Known for its flute-like song, metallic blue-black plumage and distinctive white-banded tail feather, the huia belonged to an ancient family of birds found only in New Zealand. Already fragile owing to hunting by Maori to create adornments and marereko, the huia population was decimated at the turn of the century by European settler demand for the dramatic feathers as a fashion accessory. Here, Pardington uses the sacred feathers to symbolise a range of bereavements - the erosion of Maori and Ngai Tahu culture, the loss of trail lands and sacred treasures." Felicity Milburn, Te Puawai o Ngai Tahu, Christchurch Art Gallery, 2003. Long extinct, our only examples of bird and feather are brought back out into the light, personalized as individual portraits, both precious and rare. She is best known as a specialist in 'pure' or analogue photographic darkroom technique, most notably hand printing and toning. EF