Fiona Pardington's latest work is a series of large-scale portraits of life-casts made of Maori and Pacific people during Dumont d'Urville's voyage to the Pacific in 1837-1840. Life-casts were a pre-photographic form of recording a person's image and were often collected for ethnographic studies, phrenology and as curiosities. As works of art in a contemporary context they are poignant reminders of the humanity embodied within the casts and the photographic image. This exhibition explores the meaning of the casts, their individual history and their function in relation to portraiture and photography. Curator Dr Kriselle Baker. Associate Curator Megan Tamati-Quennell
A special thank you to Creative New Zealand, The Todd Trust and The Art50 Trust. Piuraki, John Love Tikao created with the permission of the Tikao Family. Takatahara created with the permission of the people of the Horomaka, Banks Peninsula.
