Tinaku
Jocelyn Janon, Tinaku - 2021
Tinaku
Jocelyn Janon
Outdoor exhibition
Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD
24 May - 14 June 2023
Part of the Auckland Festival of Photography
Tinaku (2021) is a new series of photographic works from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based photographic artist Jocelyn Janon.
Janon describes the new series as “Discovery and exploration of Māori culture by a French immigrant in New Zealand.“
Tinaku is a Te Reo Māori word which translates to English as to germinate, or sprout. The series depicts sprouting kūmara (also known as sweet potato, or Ipomea batatas) which appear levitating, drawn towards the sun by their sprouts, with leaves flourishing in the light. Janon sees the sprouting kūmara as a metaphor for the Aotearoa’s revitalisation of both Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori - like the roots of the Māori renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s have germinated, sprouted and are now flourishing in the light in the present day. Text courtesy of the artist.
Presentation on outdoor lightboxes, supported by Auckland Council City Centre Activation.
Artist statement: Photography is for me a means of meeting people and expressing my love for humans. I am particularly interested in the talented ones. The artists, the misfits, the “different” ones. The round pegs in square holes.
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