Haka Peep Show

Haka, sex and rugby come together to celebrate the Rugby World Cup in a provocative public art work that will occupy Dunedin’s Octagon during the opening weeks of the Tournament.

Haka Peep Show is the work of internationally recognised Ngai Tahu artist Rachael Rakena and is presented in partnership by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and the Dunedin City Council.

A towering black pou, will house 3D video art works that the public can view like a peepshow. It features four haka performed by prominent Maori including passionate Tuhoe activist Tame Iti, and Ngai Tahu and Ngati Porou leader Selwyn Parata.

“The Peep Show booth takes the form of a pou that references Tane. A pou is a post, pillar or goalpost, but can also refer to a teacher or expert. This pou also makes reference to the form of a men's deodorant aerosol bottle, a product endorsed by the All Blacks” says Rakena, who resides in Palmerston North and lectures at Massey University.

The artwork considers the sexualisation and commodification of Maori and indigenous sportsmen through the use and exploitation of their masculinity and their culture, in the media.

“Essential to the art work is the context of the Rugby World Cup and the release of the Waitangi Tribunal Report, Wai 262, in July this year. Haka in mainstream New Zealand, and internationally, has thrived in large part due to the haka branding of the All Blacks and the huge uptake of sponsorship and advertising in the media that exploits and promotes Maori culture.”

Haka Peep Show addresses these issues of use and exploitation of Maori intellectual and cultural property and it attempts to recontextualise the ‘rugby’ haka within a broader cultural context by showcasing other haka exponents. The coins that activate the work will go back to the kaitiaki or guardians of each haka”

Ngai Tahu and the Dunedin City Council have also received support from Otago Polytechnic’s Schools of Art and Design, which have collaborated to design and build the pou. Christchurch-based Dimension Data has supplied the 3D televisions and DVD players.

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon says, “Haka Peepshow has its potency in addressing issues of exploitation and use of Maori intellectual and cultural property. Ngai Tahu supports and encourages these types of discussions, through art or any other medium, as we continue to build our nation and shape our collective identity. And having the conversation in the context of the Rugby World Cup allows for a global audience to participate too.”

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says, “This is a unique way of showing visitors to the Rugby World Cup, and residents alike, the increasingly strong links that exist between Dunedin city and Ngai Tahu. The council has a commitment to work closely with its mana whenua partners and we support and encourage Ngai Tahu cultural initiatives. The opportunity to present the Haka Peep Show to the public at this time is both exciting and timely.”

Rakena has also produced a second public art work for the Rugby World Cup, called Ka Uhia Mai, which also opens on 8 September in Invercargill as part of the Taste of Southland Festival.

Ka Uhia Mai is another video work that celebrates the success of New Zealand Women’s Rugby Team, the Black Ferns, through a large-scale projection on to one side of the CUE building.

“The Black Ferns have won four consecutive Women’s Rugby World Cup titles - something unparalleled in rugby history. I want to acknowledge that and for the viewer to see them as strong, elite athletes and role-models; and ask themselves why do they not feature in television endorsements, sponsorship and advertising despite their remarkable international success?”

I want to offer the public a range of haka performed by Maori leaders who use haka in their everyday lives. In the context of the Rugby World Cup, haka peepshow and Ko Uhia Mai (in Invercargill) use art to tell lesser known stories, connecting Maori, rugby and haka," says Rakena.

“I also want to thank all the performers that have given so much of themselves in supporting these works, the messages they send and the conversations they invite us and our visitors to have. The work has been produced in Dunedin, and has received enormous support from a team that includes local runaka, 38 Pictures 3D film production company, and 'Innovation Works' the design research centre at Otago Polytechnic. Nga mihi mahana ki a koutou.”

Haka Peep Show opens in the Lower Octagon, Dunedin on 9 September at 12.15pm. The opening work will include a mass haka involving local school children and members of the public – everyone is invited to participate. Check www.hakapeepshow.co.nz on 9 September for more information about the work, the artist and the performers.

Ka Uhia Mai opens at CUE Building on 8 September, SIT Arcade, as part of the Taste of Southland Festival.

Opening earlier in the day is the exhibition The Pressure of Sunlight Falling by Ngai Tahu artist Fiona Pardington at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Pardington’s exhibition is a powerful series of large-scale photographs that feature life-casts including Maori and indigenous peoples of the South Pacific taken during one of French explorer Dumont d’Urville’s 19th-century voyages.

Media Release: Dunedin City Council