- Pātaka Art + Museum
- 17 Parumoana Street
- Porirua City Centre, 5022
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Pātaka Art + Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a series of events in October and a new book. Ka mua, ka muri. Looking back, moving forward: 25 years of Pātaka profiles Pāktaka’s achievements over the last 25 years and looks forward to the next – continuing to champion emerging and established artists, making space for Māori and Moana art and forging new connections here and across the globe. The birthday month is also marked by live performances, a gala dinner, a haiku battle, whanau craft activities and of course cake.
“In the 25 years since Pātaka opened, the arts sector looks a little different. Māori and Moana art – a central pillar in Pātaka’s exhibition and collecting history – has more visibility across art spaces in Aotearoa,” says Pātaka director, Ana Sciascia.
“Pātaka has always done what wasn’t possible elsewhere, and as the sector catches up, our sense of what is possible at Pātaka must now also expand and extend.”
Ka mua, ka muri. Looking back, moving forward is edited by Ioana Gordon-Smith and Ana Sciascia, and highlights 25 exhibitions and 25 items from the collection. With a rich history of over 800 exhibitions and 22,000 collection objects, there was robust debate about what to include in the book. The title is from the whakatauki “Ka mua, ka muri” also known as “walking backwards into the future”. Sciascia says it suggests Pātaka should reflect and look to the past to inform and inspire its future.
IMAGES
Above: Ka mua, ka muri. Looking back, moving forward book cover
Below: Pātaka director, Ana Sciasica
