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Bury My Patu

documentary heritage
  • Description

    Woodblock relief, printed in black ink, from one block; etching and opening bite, printed in graphite ink, from one

    copper plate; screenprint, printed in white ink, from one screen on paper. "While viewing the First World War galleries at the AWM, Brett Graham came across a bundle of Turkish barbed wire from Kirmezi Sirt (Red Ridge) in Gallipoli that had been cut to pieces by rifle, machine gun and shell fire. The barbed wire has been etched and printed in dark graphite over a printed black wood-grain background. A screen-printed border of English, Maori and Ottoman Turkish text is taken from the words of King Tāwhiao, quoted by his granddaughter, Waikato leader Te Puea Herangi, in resistance to New Zealand’s participation in the First World War:

    'Listen, listen, the sky above, the earth below, and all the people assembled here. The killing of men must stop; the destruction of land must stop. I shall bury my patu in the earth and it shall not rise again ...Waikato, lie down. Do not allow blood to flow from this time on.'" - Australian War Memorial

  • Other Id

    4114 (Presto content ID)

    PD-2019-9-4 (Reference Number)

    PD-2019-9-4 (accession number)

    ACQ-2018-41 (Acquisition number)

  • Department

Images and documents

Catalogue

  • Object Type
  • Name/Title
    Bury My Patu
  • Primary Maker
  • Date
    2015
  • Physical Description

    760 x 560mm on Rives BFK paper

  • Level of Current Record
    Child
  • Is Part Of
  • Subject Category
  • Provenance Details
    All of the printmaking was carried out at the Megalo Studio in Canberra between May 2014 and June 2015, under the technical oversight of printmaker John Loane.
    The prints exist in an edition of 20, the others having been distributed to similar cultural institutions. This set was offered as a gift to Auckland Museum by the Australian War Memorial in 2018.
  • Public Access Text

    Edition of 20

    [Keywords: Kirmezi Sirt, Red Ridge, Gallipoli]

  • Subject Notes
    Artist's bio:
    "In his practice Graham engages a dual dialogue of Maori and European histories. Via an emphasis on detail and surface, he explores complex historical and cultural ideas. In recent years, Graham has appropriated Western symbols of military power, such as stealth bombers and tanks, and incised them with repetitive Māori whakairo (carving). By adorning these symbols of Western power with Māori tradition, Graham is referencing the spirits of his ancestors who gave their lives in Western wars. Graham has exhibited extensively both locally and internationally. His work was included in the 2006 and 2010 Biennale of Sydney at the MCA, Sydney, the Asia Pacific Triennial at QAGOMA, Brisbane in 1996, and the 2007 Venice Biennale." - Australian War Memorial
  • Copyright
    All rights reserved
  • Last Update
    20 Jun 2023

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