Wharenui

- Joanne Barrett

This work reflects the wharenui as the dwelling that embraces and welcomes. Textural lines denote generations nurtured in the arms of such a dwelling; the resting feathers symbolize peacefulness. The suggestion of teepee came to me while creating this work.

Joanne’s father was a carver who taught her about carved lines representing whakapapa (lineage). After he passed away, Joanne inherited many of his tools and started thinking about those lines, which now form the beginnings of her paintings.

For each of Joanne’s pieces, she paints a base layer, then carves lines into the paint, creating a textural canvas to paint her images onto. The lines are Joanne’s personal interpretation of lineage and generations.

“For me, it’s about our whakapapa, not just of human beings but of the whēnua (land) as well. A tree falls, and new seedlings come through, creating generations of our natural world. The lines give me a base, somewhere to start both creatively and spiritually, then I create the imagery on top of that."

Dimensions:

Width - 760mm x Height - 760mm x Depth - 36mm