Bare faced

They just won’t stop.

Style section

Some time ago we pointed you to body painter Guido Daniele who swiped Moko for his own ends. He’s not alone. Of many examples of Moko used in the fashion industry, Jean Paul Gaultier and Paco Rabanne stand out. Although there have been some attempts to stop this use of Moko, spare a thought for Africa. In his Spring/ Summer 2009 Tribal chic collection for Dior, John Galliano used a fertility goddess as the heel of a sandal. Yours for $1,590.

The Dr. is in

We first came across DR. LAKRA (Jeronimo Lopez Ramirez) via Francis Upritchard. They share a dealer gallery in London (Kate MacGarry) so perhaps it was Uprichard who prompted DR. LAKRA, a Mexican tattoo artist, to reach for Maori moko. In his work he applies tattoos onto various objects. The image above is from a Phillips De Pury catalogue for their Saturday auction on 25 October that features a few of DR. LAKRA’s drawings in which he applies tattoo patterns onto illustrations taken from old books. Is there a price you can put on intellectual property like moko? Seems so. This work by DR. LAKRA was expected to sell at auction for between $US7000 and 9000.

Image: DR.LAKRA’s Untitled (Don Getulio), 2006

Pattern recognition

You can take the art out of the agency, but you can’t take the agency out of the art. We have already pointed to schlock uses of Maori moko, and advertisers who use great art like scraps for a family album. Here is another version capturing both from the foyer of Saatchi & Saatchi in Wellington.

Just the FAQs

The current departmental collection FAQs on the Te Papa web site.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What can you tell me about the pygmy blue whale?
How was the pygmy blue whale in Mountains to Sea prepared for display?
What is a moa?
What can you tell me about tuatara?
How do tuatara live?
Are tuatara endangered?
What is kauri gum?
What can you tell me about the pohutakawa tree?
Who are the contacts for enquiries about botany?
What type of dinosaur does Te Papa's dinosaur bone belong to?
Where was Te Papa's dinosaur bone found?
Who is Joan Wiffen?
What can you tell me about the kea?
What are the different kinds of kiwi?
What can you tell me about volcanoes?
What do I do if I find a bird with a band around its leg?
What can you tell me about the weta?
What are the main facts of the Wahine disaster?
Where is New Zealand pounamu (nephrite jade) found?
What can you tell me about the colossal squid?
How many native tress and shrubs are planted in Bush City?
What can you tell me about Nga Kakahu a Papataanuku (Te Papa's iwi planting area)

HISTORY
What can you tell me about the de Surville anchor?
Who discovered the de Surville anchors?
What happened to Phar Lap's remains?
What is the Tamil Bell?
What can you tell me about Te Papa's Pacific Collection?
What can you tell me about the Britten motorbike
What can you tell me about the Tiger Moth?
What can you tell me about the Endeavour cannon?
What is the Treaty of Waitangi? What do the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi contain?
What can you tell me about the Zhang Heng earthquake recorder?
How does the Zhang Heng seismograph work?
Who was Hone Heke?
Where is the sarcophagus and the Egyptian mummy?
What can you tell me about the Egyptian mummy?
Who was Sir James Hector?
Where is Captain Cook's cloak?
What can you tell me about Captain Cook's cloak?

MAORI/ TAONGA MAORI
What can you tell me about Te Papa's waharoa in the Wellington foyer?
What is Te Marae o Te Papa Tongarewa?
What is the protocol on The Marae?
What is the powhiri (welcome)?
When does the kawa (protocol) change?
What can you tell me about the Mauri Stone in The Marae?
What can you tell me about Te Hau ki Taranga?
What is Teremoe?
What is Te Aurere?
Where do Maori and Pacific Island people come from?
What is Matariki?
Where are toi moko, also called moko mokai (tattooed, dried human heads)?

ART & VISUAL CULTURE
What can you tell me about Charles Goldie?
What happened to the Academy of Fine Arts?
Image: Question mark

Bird call

Here’s serendipity for you. Last week Nicolas Jasmin sent us an image of a new limited edition vinyl. The same morning the owner of Popup, a Wellington store that sells vinyl toys, told us he had just ordered one for us. As you can see from the image, this new vinyl is worth the attention. For the series Strangekiss has selected endangered species and equipped them with weapons of their own, plus the determination to fight back. Part of the purchase price goes to the WWF. The latest is this yellow-eyed penguin kitted out with a missile. The penguin is called Hinenuitepo and the packaging tells us that “Hinenuitepo is Makutu’s sister. Like her Maori name sake, she is the ‘goddess of death and great lady of the night’. Preferring to attack enemy ships at night when most of the crew is sleeping, she is very effective in her kill ratio and exceptional water borne combat specialist… she has her tribal face tattoo and Terminator Skull emblem proudly displayed on her body as a warning to all that cross her path.”

Hinenuitepo also brings up the perennial questions about the appropriation of moko. We rang a friend deep in one of the Maori departments of Government to test the current temperature. As you can imagine, it’s mixed from absolute opposition to an acceptance that moko has become part of the global image bank and, so long as it is done with understanding, go for it. To see a total lack of understanding (nudity alert – you have been warned – and, let’s face it, encouraged) check out this shameless Italian photographer. Maybe Hinenuitepo needs all the help she can get. Go pengui.