CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS Clément Verger. E.obliqua site, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island Tasmania, 2024
Te Whare Hēra, in collaboration with Te Papa Tongarewa, would like to welcome you to an artist talk to be given by the first artist-in-residence for 2025, French artist-researcher Clément Verger. Join us for a presentation given by Verger followed by a discussion with Acting Head of Art, Curator Historical New Zealand Art Dr Rebecca Rice, Curator Māori and Indigenous Modern and Contemporary Art Isaac Te Awa (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Ngā Puhi), and Curator of Botany Dr Carlos Lehnebach.
Circumnavigations is a long-term, three-part body of work that examines the impact of James Cook’s voyages on the global landscape. Each of his three expeditions serves as the basis for case studies on the transportation and establishment of plant species across the world.
Through Circumnavigations, Verger examines how plants became intertwined with colonial expansion, trade and the reshaping of ecosystems. His artistic approach combines scientific research with creative exploration, presenting his findings through modes of photography and installation.
This residency is supported by the French Embassy.
Panelist Biographies
Dr Rebecca Rice is Acting Head of Art at Te Papa. She is a curator and researcher dedicated to the study, interpretation and presentation of historical art in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her research is deeply collaborative, often with the intention of interrogating the colonial situations in which art was produced, exhibited and collected. In her work, Rebecca seeks to breakdown the boundaries between disciplines, particularly between art and science, so that their interconnectedness might be better understood.
Isaac Te Awa (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Ngāpuhi) is the Curator Māori and Indigenous Modern and Contemporary Art at Te Papa. He has a diverse interest within te ao Māori and a passion for the reconnection of taonga Māori to people, place and community. He is an active practitioner and researcher of Māori weaving and carving with a special interest in the revitalisation and documentation of traditional technique, practice, and knowledge.
Dr Carlos Lehnebach is a Curator of Botany at Te Papa. His research aims at describing and recording Aotearoa New Zealand plant diversity. Current projects focus on the formal description of new orchid species using historical and modern herbarium collections and genetic tools. He is also involved in the development of conservation methods to prevent extinction of threatened orchid species. Carlos is also interested in exploring the intersection between Plants – People- Places and the stories behind historical plant collections and their collectors.
This residency is supported by the French Embassy.