Sydney's Stills Gallery is hosting an exhibition this month by artistic photographer James Tylor, titled Aotearoa, my Hawaiki.
Tylor’s Aboriginal, European and Māori heritage is a focus of his artwork in which he draws on his roots to examine the complexities of colonial pasts, cultural identity and connection to place.
Tylor uses early photographic techniques, such as daguerreotype, to reclaim processes used to document Indigenous Australian and Māori culture in the 19th century. He also manipulates contemporary photographs by hand-colouring, cutting or ripping them, alluding to the erasure and loss of Indigenous cultures.
With 'Aotearoa, my Hawaiki', a series of black and white images of New Zealand’s South Island Tylor has ripped the lower part of each print away. The resulting black voids suggest a spirtual connection to Aotearoa formed largely in Tylor's heart and mind rather than from a direct experience of the land.
Aotearoa, my Hawaiki runs from March 10 to April 9, with the official opening on Saturday March 12 from 3-5pm, with an artist talk from 2pm.
Stills Gallery is situated at 36 Gosbell Street, Paddington NSW and will be closed for the Easter break, March 25-28.
Website: stillsgallery.com.au