The Essentials of Being a Native

Matt Tini

Corban Estate Arts Centre
2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson

4 May - 22 June 2024

Opening 6pm Friday 3 May

Part of the Auckland Festival of Photography

In the exploration of colonial influences on the representation of Indigenous peoples, Matt Tini scrutinises the colonial gaze directed at Tangata Whenua through a series of photography and moving image works. By reclaiming and disrupting the visual codes that have homogenised and essentialised Indigenous identities, Matt challenges the limiting paradigms upheld by both colonisers and the colonised. 

By reclaiming stereotypes such as the native at one with nature and relic of a dying race, and displacing others like the dusky maiden and female nude, Matt challenges viewers’ perceptions of the Indigenous body, identity, and experience from a deeply personal perspective while offering paths for others to connect. Unserious yet earnest, the essentials of being a native manipulates the visual language of colonisers, engaging with colonial fantasies while breaking them open.