Before Elvis...there was nothing
-
Michael Parekōwhai
b.1968
Ngāriki Rotoawe, Māori
Ngāti Whakarongo, Māori
Title
Before Elvis...there was nothing
Details
| Production Date | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Collection(s) | Collection Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth. Gifted to the Gallery by the artist and Ans Westra, 2003. |
| Accession Number | 2003/5 |
| Edition | 1/1 |
| Media | lambda print with permanent marker pen |
| Measurements | Support: 1210 x 1520mm Image: 1190 x 1348mm |
About
I te tau 1963, ka whakaputaina e te kaikapo whakaahua, e Ans Westra, he terenga whakaahua e whakaatu ana i ngā tamariki o ngā kura i ngā taone puta noa i Te Ika-a-Māui. Ko te kura Māori o Parikino, i te tahatika o te awa o Whanganui, arā, ko te kura i whakaako ai ngā mātua o Michael Parekōwhai i taua wā, me te kura tuatahi o Whatatutu, pātata ki Tūranga, te wāhi i kapohia ai te whakaahua nei.
Ka whakahōu a Parekōwhai i te whakaahua a Westra, arā, he kaponga o ngā tamariki e whakangahau ana ki te kāmera. I runga tonu i te whakaahua, kua tāpirihia e Parekōwhai tētehi tuhinga ki te pene whītau motuhake - he kupu mōiriiri nā John Lennon.
He mahi tuhirua tēnei, arā, ko tā te ringatoi he tohu i te nui o te nama a Elvis Presley me te hunga waiata ki ngā mātanga pūoro o te iwi Mangumangu, me te whakaawe hoki a ngā kaiwaiata Amerikana i ngā kaiawhakaari Māori i te rautau rua tekau. E whakahau ana te tuhinga a Parekōwhai i a tātou ki te wero i ngā mana e whakakitea ana, me te aha e tāmi hoki ana i te mana o te kaikapo, me he kaitiro nō rāwaho i te ao tūturu tonu.
—
In 1963, photographer Ans Westra produced a series of images documenting schoolchildren in towns around Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island). Westra’s itinerary included the Parakino Māori School, on the Whanganui river, where Michael Parekōwhai’s parents were teachers at the time, as well as Whatatutu Primary School, near Gisborne, where this photograph was taken.
In this work, Parekōwhai repurposes Westra’s image, which features a group of children joyously performing for the camera. Upon the image, Parekōwhai has added a caption in permanent marker—a now notorious quote attributed to John Lennon.
In this act of double-quotation, the artist gestures at once to the debt Elvis Presley and other rock ‘n’ roll greats owe to Black musical traditions and innovation, and to the influence of American popular music on Māori performers in the 20th century. As well, Parekōwhai’s quotation encourages us to question the power relations embedded in any act of representation, undermining the supposed position of the photographer as an objective, outside observer of reality.
— Text developed for Te Hau Whakatonu: A Series of Never-ending Beginnings (5 August 2023–11 February 2024), curated by Taarati Taiaroa
