TOI IHO
Known as a vivacious Kiwi painter who enjoys using colour, Shona Moller has found that exploring colonisation through her artwork has struck a chord with many. A sell-out solo exhibition in Central London 18 months ago was a pivotal moment in her career. In just three days, the Ngäi Tahu/English painter sold 19 artworks valued between £2000 and £3000. This lifted her international profile and provided an inroad to the lucrative British market. A dozen more works were commissioned from this exhibition alone. Her signature work at the London show was the tu be series. Shona took an iconic British landmark (the London Underground, which is commonly known as the Tube) and replaced the names of the destinations with Mäori place names. Waterloo has become Tirau, Leicester Square has become Taupö, Bond St has become Taihape and Canary Wharf is now Paeroa. The name of her series tu be is also a play on the Shakespearian quote from Hamlet “to be or not to be” and the Mäori phrase “e tü”, which means stand up, and it also spells tube. The title is a combination of two cultures and the artist herself. The fragmented woman symbol across the painting represents Shona balancing her Mäori and English ancestry and also symbolises tensions between European and Mäori within Aotearoa. The tu be series has been described as ‘Polynisation’ of England. Shona said she wanted to expose the imperfections created by cultural substitution in this work. The tu be series challenges the relevance of these names and other British symbols such as the Union Jack in New Zealand today. Residing on the Kapiti Coast, Shona has two galleries – one in Wellington city and the other at Paraparaumu Beach. Her works are in high demand, with around half now sold to overseas buyers. Her home and studio look out to Kapiti Island where her tipuna wahine, Heke Parata, was held captive after she was kidnapped by Te Rauparaha from Kaiköura in 1828.
Far right: Warhol Queen and tu be / Right: detail of tu be.
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te Karaka makariri 2010