John Bevan Ford: Works on Paper

18 March - 15 April 2009

John Bevan Ford (1930-2005) was one of our finest contemporary Maori artists. Alongside peers Ralph Hotere, Clive Arlidge, Fred Graham, Paratene Matchitt and others, he was a pioneer of the contemporary Maori arts movement. He is acknowledged for his prolific and outstanding contribution to art and education both in New Zealand and abroad. John was born in 1930 in Christchurch and moved to Wellington in 1943, close to his mother’s ancestral land on the Kapiti coast. His mother was Ngati Raukawa ki Kapiti whose people are descended from Tainui of Waikato. His father was from German and English lineage and was an admirer of Maori culture.

John's beautiful and skilful compositions remind us of our connections to culture, histories and art making. His works are full of cosmological narratives that acknowledge his Maori heritage. Ford has said that his art is 'identity, history, spiritual belief, human experience and social values. John believed that the land came first, as a life force beyond humans, that land was mana imbued by spirituality that connected us with the 'whole'. Throughout his lifetime he strove to make connections through his work, with the peoples and cultures of Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, and travelling further afield to China, Europe, and Canada. Always mindful of the strengths of his Maori heritage, he drew inspiration from the customary arts of Raranga, Taniko, Whakairo, Kowhaiwhai and Korowai.

John was one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary Maori artists. He has worked full time as a professional artist since 1988 but has exhibited at a national level in New Zealand since 1966. His paintings and sculptures have achieved wide recognition. International institutions who have purchased work for their permanent collections include the British Museum, London, Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin; National Museum of Scotland; he is also represented in the permanent collections of the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Rijksmuseum voor Volkerkunde, Leyden, Scheepvaart (National Maritime Museum of the Netherlands) Amsterdam, and the National Art Gallery of Australia.

Event listed by Toi o Tahuna

View their other events or contact promoter