Hiria Anderson-Mitre with two of the half-finished paintings for the November exhibition.
The theme for the next exhibition by Ōtorohanga artist Hiria Anderson-Mita will be Te Matapihi – The Window.
The exhibition at Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland in November is inspired by scenes Hiria has observed locally and outside of the district.
“As Te Matapihi literally means The Window, to me it is a metaphor for a way of seeing, experiencing and interpreting our world,” Hiria said.
She is creating a large group of oil paintings. Many of which are already half finished.
The collection of artworks was inspired by a Te Huia train trip with her nephew.
“We went to Auckland to see an exhibition of world-famous paintings such as Turner and Hammershoi.
“Entering into the Auckland suburbs I started to see explosions of colour against the grey urban landscapes, a steady stream of graffiti. I was quite amazed by the extent of colour, style and skill some of the graffiti presented.
“It wasn’t just the graffiti; it was layered against bland backyard fences backed onto fancy heritage homes. My face pressed the window while concrete underpasses turned into flickering projections of colour exploding in my face.
“Young people were throwing up crip signs with their hands to our train. I waved back frantically like an aunty excited to see them. I’m so country.
“At train speed these vistas whipped past my eyes. It was a voyeuristic experience. People hanging out clothes, pink and blue text on abandoned warehouses, tagging behind businesses. I was seeing societies, cultures and modernity, existing within the same urban space.
“We are used to the familiar, well presented public spaces. Signage and advertising shows us, instructs us, entices us, trains us, hears us. A train ride shows you life uncurated.”
Another scene which inspired work for the exhibition was an early morning car journey following the death of a family member.
“We were returning home to Ōtorohanga in the early morning and the mist had settled on the land in between Kakepuku and Pirongia. I felt so many things, it was mystical, spiritual, lonely, ethereal and it prepared us for the pouritanga (sadness) that we were now plunged into”.
At the lighter end of the scale was another “window scene”, is based on the joyfulness of her niece looking out at the world through a set of colourful toy goggles.
Hiria is profiled in the latest Art New Zealand Magazine and will be among artists featured in a forthcoming Listener article on portrait painting.
She was raised in her grandparents’ home in Te Rohe Pōtae and lives in her whānau homestead in Ōtorohanga.
