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Rangi Kipa features at new museum in Denver
Denver, Colarado is a long way from Ohope Beach, Whakatane. One of seven international artists invited to participate in the inaugural exhibition of the dynamic new Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, New Zealand artist Rangi Kipa is bringing a piece of Aotearoa to Colorado.
For the MCA exhibition, Star Power: Museum as Body Electric, Rangi Kipa created a contemporary whare whakairo (carved meeting house) in Bali ,which has been shipped to and reconfigured in Denver in the installation space of the museum.
Rangi says the work, Radiare, is designed to break away from the customary idea of a whare and challenge the boundaries of cultural identity and self-representation.
"Here presented is a whare whakairo, obviously endowed with a tribal aesthetic heritage while at the same time claiming a place in the canons of western art and being a living voice to a global community," Rangi Kipa said.
For Star Power: Museum as Body Electric, Executive Director and Chief Curator Cydney Paton selected Rangi Kipa's work to be exhibited alondside internationally renowned artists Carlos Amorales (Mexico), David Altmejd (Canada), Candice Breitz (South africa), Wangechi Mutu (Kenya), Chris Ofili (Trinidad) and Collier Schorr (United States).
The new museum opened to the public on Sunday 28 October after a week of celebrations. Distinctive for its black glass exterior, the museum was designed by British architect David Adjaye and is hailed as Denver's first institution devoted entirely to contemporary art.
American art collector Peggy Scott, who brought Rangi's work to the attention of the museum's director, Cydney Paton, says Rangi's work stands out for his ability to convey a sense of belonging and tradition. The mix of customary and contemporary makes his work "interesting and exciting".
Rangi Kipa was the 2006 Creative New Zealand Craft/ Object Art Fellowship recipient, worth $65,000, which allowed him the time and opportunity to focus on creating this significant work.
Star Power: Museum as Body Electric will be on show at the MCA Denver until 3 February 2008.
