NZ Visual Diary - entry 350
woman and street sculpture
For the observant patron of my photography blog, two narrative themes are represented in this photograph: a celebration of street art and the artists who enrich streetscapes in urban areas; and, the dynamic interactions (or not) of people and their urban (street) environments.
First, a snapshot of the artist, Fred Graham:
Frederick John Graham CNZM (born 1928) is a New Zealand artist and educator recognised as a pioneer in the contemporary Māori art movement. In 2018, was the recipient of an Icon Award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, limited to 20 living art-makers. In December 2024, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori art.1
Graham’s sculpture — Te Waka Taumata o Horotiu (Resting Waka) — was commissioned (circa 2008) by Auckland Council for its public art collection. For local Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the sculpture’s location — current day 80 Queen Street, at the corner of Swanson and Queen Streets — marks an important heritage place at the foreshore (or shoreline) of the former waterfront.
As explained by the artist, the waka (canoe) depicted in the sculpture speaks to:
The old foreshore line and local iwi [extended kinship groups]. They remind us of the two famous war canoes, Kahumauroa and Te Kotuiti, which guarded the shores of the Waitematā.2
Secondly, my photograph suggests a playful and metaphoric nod to those serendipitous moments of street culture, when people and the built (urban) environment, most notably the artistic elements of city life (be it architecture or street art), dance together and not merely stand in opposition or indifference to the other.
Frederick John Graham (CNZM) | Wikipedia website entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Graham_(sculptor)
interview with artist | Our Auckland
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2018/9/step-into-heritage-with-auckland-council-s-inner-city-public-art-trail/