Wāhine Māori artists take centre stage

Wāhine Māori artists took centre stage in Webb’s recent art auction in what gallerists say marks a "broader cultural shift" where the perspectives of Māori women are not just acknowledged, but celebrated and driving investment on the main stage.

Webb’s, a New Zealand auction house established in 1976, had a stellar cohort of female Māori artists leading the charge in their latest art catalogue, "Select".

The auction featured works by Waimate-based artist Fiona Pardington, and artists Star Gossage, Robin White, Robyn Kahukiwa and Pauline Yearbury.

Webb’s South Island-based art specialist Sean Duxfield said the Select art auction was a "huge success".

"We were really pleased to see wāhine Māori artists take centre stage," he said.

The catalogue presented a cross-generational dialogue that speaks to identity, whakapapa and mana wāhine, Mr Duxfield said.

The auction resulted in the sale of works by Fiona Pardington (Lot 39L $19,120), Star Gossage (Lot 38: $16,730), Robyn Kahukiwa (Lot 10: $7170), Robin White (Lot 35: $11,950) and Pauline Yearbury (Lot 13: $4063, Lot 14: $5497 and Lot 15: $5497).

Esteemed photographer Fiona Pardington was recently made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to photography around the same time as her artwork became part of the permanent collection in the Arts of Oceania Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Gallerist Tim Melville (Te Arawa and Te Atiawa) said the catalogue reflected a growing, critical recognition of Māori women artists not as peripheral contributors, but as central to the narrative of contemporary New Zealand art.

"I think there has also been purposeful neglect, along with a Eurocentric assessment of what counts as important New Zealand art.

"It’s not just a case of artists needing to ‘come into their own’.

"Having said that, the climate is changing for the better," Mr Melville said.

Mr Melville said the auction marked not only a significant moment in the art market but a "broader cultural shift", where the perspectives of Māori women are not just acknowledged, but celebrated and driving investment on the main stage.

"Together, these artists challenge, reinterpret and elevate what it means to be wāhine Māori in Aotearoa today," he said.

Pardington has whakapapa links to Kāi Tahu and resides in the Hunter Hills 15km northwest of Waimate.

"The Fiona Pardington piece was a still life that she produced during her time as artist in residence at the (Colin) McCahon house in Titirangi," Mr Duxfield said.

Among other artists included in the sale were Shane Cotton, Bill Culbert, Imogen Taylor, Bill Hammond, Matt Arbuckle, Billy Apple and Tony de Lautour.