This custom-made aluminum and reflective vinyl road sign has been designed by Fijian-Māori visual artist, Margaret Aull. In only its second public showing, the work entitled “Seek Utopia – The Way home (series), Hawaiki nui: 2/4″ (2012) will be part of Margaret’s upcoming solo exhibition, Concealed Ancestors at Papakura Art Gallery, South Auckland.

In a Māori world view there are operative parallels that exist pertaining to physical and spiritual realms.

Hawaiki nui is a mythological place kept alive through waiata, oratory and whaikorero. Its exact co-ordinates have been blurred over time. The explosion of global positioning through the internet can remove the mystery of sacred and profound places such as Hawaiki nui.

By creating a road sign to Hawaiki nui it is intended that the place transitions from the mythological world into the present, directing travelers at least towards a place that exists on State Highway 1, Aotearoa.

– Margaret Aull

The work will be installed in the Gallery’s road-facing window vitrine from 12 January – 23 February 2013.

Concealed Ancestors also features a series of works on paper and a sculptural installation, all of which have been produced as part of the artist’s post-graduate studies at Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design.

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