Untitled references the consideration that the artist’s works are consistently without a title. Susan Te Kahurangi King (b1951 Ngaati Hauaa te iwi whaangai) makes work that speaks for itself without any written language to describe or frame them. The artist herself stopped verbally communicating at the age of four years old and was, much later, diagnosed with autism in 2015. There is an immediacy and confidence in Te Kahurangi King’s mark-making that is compelling, it is not surprising that she has exhibited extensively around the world and her drawings are housed in important public collections including MoMA, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, American Folk Art Museum, and the Chartwell Collection (Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tamaki). Untitled shows a small range of Te Kahurangi King’s practice, highlighting ten early and twelve recent works – including two hand-coloured lithographs made in collaboration with APS.
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I waihotia te mahi a Susan Te Kahurangi King (I whanau mai i te tau 1951) ma tāna nei mai toi te kōrero, hei aha te kupu kōrero a tuhi. Kua ngū te reo a te kaimahi toi nei mai i te wā e wha tau tāna pakeke, ā whai muri ake, i te tau 2015, ka mōhio ai ia he wahine whaitakiwātanga a ia.
He āhuatanga whakatata rawa, he āhuatanga maia hoki te mahi a Te Kahurangi King, kare e ohorere te kitenge ake kua whakātuhia āna nei mahi ki ngā tōpito huri noa te Ao. Kei roto ngā Wharetiaki Toi rongonui rawa atu āna mahi toi, pēra i te MoMA. Pērā i ngā Wharetiaki Mahitoi o Piritāwhia, o Amerika, ara o Te Toi o Tāmaki hoki.
Ka whakātuhia te mahi kore ingoa nei i tetehi wāhanga iti noa iho o ngā mahi toi a Te Kahurangi King. He tekau ngā mahi toi āna mai i ngā wā o mua, he tekau anō mai te naia tata nei.
The exhibition is presented courtesy of the artist, The Susan Te Kahurangi King Trust and Robert Heald Gallery.
This exhibition was made possible with the support of Artmount & Framing Matters.