January 21, 2021
Auckland Gallery challenged on Maori vision
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei chief operating officer Tom Irvine has been appointed to the advisory committee for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
The appointment by Auckland Unlimited, the new body formed by the merger of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development and Regional Facilities Auckland, comes as the gallery’s outgoing Māori curator, Nigel Borrell, slammed the institution’s unwillingness to share power with Māori.
Irvine says he has been delighted to support gallery director Kirsten Lacy and her leadership team informally throughout 2020.
“I’m now thrilled to formalise my relationship with the gallery and to work alongside the other committee members to support the gallery’s Māori outcomes. The gallery is moving into an exciting phase and I’m honoured to play a role in advancing its bicultural framework,” he says.
Borrell put in his resignation after delivering Toi Tū Toi Ora, a survey of Māori contemporary art that includes more than 300 works by 100 artists.
He expressed frustration at the amount of control director Lacy had exerted over decision-making.
He says maintaining a Māori voice in colonial institutions is challenging.
He also questioned the failure by New Zealand art institutions to appoint New Zealanders rather than looking overseas to fill the top jobs.
Lacy is a former deputy director at the National Art Gallery of Australia.
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