Mātaki

Mātaki – ‘to gaze, watch, inspect, examine, observe’
(Finalist in the Parkin Drawing Prize 2019)

• 1970 x 760 mm
• Note paper, acrylic, compressed charcoal and found objects on recycled door (2019)
• Artists Collection

Mātaki began with a recycled door….

Drawing inspiration from the curved form of the Ward Observatory in Whanganui, the work evolved through observation, research, and experimentation. Following a visit to the observatory in 2019, the door became both a surface and a constellation of ideas.

Drawn, painted, and collaged across its surface are traces of observational sketches, architectural drawings, astronomy diagrams, historical records, research notes, and fragments of conversation. A star chart of the June 2019 night sky, (including the Matariki constellation), forms the heart of the composition. Over several years, layers of information gradually accumulated, creating a rich surface where ideas and connections could emerge. The finished work exists somewhere between painting, sketchbook, and archive.

MĀTAKI is as much about discovery as it is about representation. It reflects a way of working in which knowledge is gathered, tested, and transformed through making, allowing the final image to emerge from the layered record of its own creation.