MASSEY UNIVERSITY News
Maori paintings gifted to albany campus
Six political protest paintings by the renowned artist, Emily Karaka, have been gifted to the University’s Albany campus from the SkyCity Entertainment Group.
The vibrant, mixed media, expressionist-style works depicting historic tribal and political events in the Auckland region have been on display as a distinctive feature in the lobby of the campus Study Centre for the past 13 years, on loan from SkyCity.
Ms Karaka (Ngati Wai, Waiohua, Ngati Hine), along with representatives from SkyCity, attended a special ceremony at the campus on December 17 to formally gift the paintings and witness Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey signing a deed of transfer.
The paintings, worth between $9000 and $15,000, were offered on loan as a result of SkyCity’s awareness that the-then very new campus was keen to feature new artwork as part of a cohesive collection it wanted to build up, says SkyCity Government and Industry Affairs manager Andrew Gaukrodger SkyCity decided to gift the paintings to the University after discussions with the campus Visual Arts Committee, chaired by Professor Kerry Chamberlain.
“It was right thing to do,” Mr Gaukrodger said. “The paintings have been well-looked after and they look great where they are displayed.”
Mr Maharey said that the gesture by SkyCity underscored the University’s commitment to art and the ongoing development of a public art collection on campus. It also highlights the importance to the University of developing partnerships of mutual benefit with community, iwi and industry.
He described Ms Karaka’s work as “extraordinary”, saying it captured the spirit of vitality of Maori art that sprang from the 1980s. On another level, the presence of the works signalled the University’s commitment to celebrating Maori cultural traditions, and its recognition of and support for iwi capacity as an emerging economic force that will shape the country’s future.
Ms Karaka was born in Auckland and lives on Waiheke Island. A self-taught artist, she has been exhibiting her work since 1980. Her work is often political and draws on both Maori and European art traditions. The Treaty of Waitangi and other indigenous issues are themes embodied in much of her work.
The titles of the paintings are: Te Wai o Huia (1996), Ngai Tai (1996), Te Ipu Kura a Maki (1996), Ngati Paoa (1996), Te Kawerau a Maki (1996) and Te Taou (1996).
Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger
Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger has won this year’s Fukui Medal for outstanding theoretical/computational chemists in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Asia-Pacific Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists announced recently it has awarded the medal to the Albany-based scientist for his achievement in quantum chemistry, in particular for his deeper understanding of quantum relativistic effects.
The medal is named after Japanese chemist Kenichi Fukui (1918-98) who was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1981. Candidates for the medal must be nominated by three eminent scientists.
Professor Schwerdtfeger is the director of the Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics at the University’s Institute for Advanced Study.
“This is a great honour for me,” he says. “Looking at the other medallists, you see why.’
In November Professor Schwerdfeger, whose research has helped explain the physics and chemistry behind the colour of gold, was awarded another prestigious international science prize, the Humboldt Research Award. The German-born scientist gained a degree as a chemicotechnical assistant at the Chemisches Institut in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1973, a chemical engineering degree from Aalen in 1976, and a PhD in 1986 from the University of Stuttgart. He has held numerous positions as teaching and research fellow at universities in Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
His Marsden-funded projects include experimental and theoretical investigations of the nanostructures of gold for a better understanding of the quantum size effects in nanostructured materials, and understanding and modelling the behaviour of dynamic clusters of atoms and molecules in heavy metal clusters. He has supervised PhD students and collaborates intensively with more than 30 research groups worldwide on topics ranging from computational inorganic and organic chemistry to materials science and high-resolution spectroscopy. He has been the recipient of six Marsden grants totalling $4 million.
Education: Kristin School
