OVERVIEW

[IMAGE] Torere Bay 2023

Photograph

1200 x 2800 mm

POA

McCarthy Gallery is excited to present our series of represented gallery artist, curated exhibitions—celebrating Pacific contemporary art—As well as an opportunity to collaborate closely with our patrons, partners and collectors.

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Sarah Dutt heritage is of Fijian Indian, Ngai Tai, Whanau A Apanui, Ngati Porou. My parents married in 1970. Bringing together two cultures that had significant differences but also many similarities. Being brought up both Māori and Indian was natural for us. Our parents embraced both cultures. They ensured we knew our customs and familial expectations from both a Māori and Indian perspective. These tensions and commonalities have under pinned much of my work. I was first drawn to art when I was six. My art practice started at high school, when I participated in a number of exhibitions. I was steered toward Māori and European Art, having little access nor understanding of Indian Art at the time. At university I was encouraged to seek out and understand both my cultures equally in my creative practice. This took time as there were very few resources and influences, I could relate to. I spent a lot of time with Dante Bonica and Maureen Lander in Māori Studies, learning about Māori material culture, a practice I still maintain. After reconnecting with my Fijian-Indian family, I embraced everything I could, leading to my interest in ephemeral art practices and meaning within Māori and Indian art making. My practice explores the experience of the Indian diaspora through the British colonial indentured systems in Trinidad and Fiji. The works I make is filled with meaning. While there are motif and symbols, there are also landscapes and places that are significant to the histories of many people. My growing fascination with New Zealand history, including the Indian story within this nations story is guiding my focus both as an educator and artist. Finding ways to connect the past and present brings with it many creative tensions and opportunities.

McCarthy Gallery is proud to represent Sarah Dutt in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.