An artwork completed, but deemed too radical and never hung, is on display in Wellington almost 40 years since its completion.
The epic 20 metre-long, 3.6 metre-tall contemporary Māori painting, Portrait of Ūawa Tolaga Bay, sketches a community – a collection of faces, spirits, nature, pieces of the past, and futuristic wonders to represent times unknown.
Artist John Walsh, then 27-years-old, finished the piece in 1980 for Hauiti Marae but its place there would never come to fruition. Debate followed and the 10 panels of painted chipboard became a source for controversy, "a national kicking ball, for five minutes".
To read more please click here
November 7, 2018
