He mihi kau atu ana mai i te ngākau Māori ki tēnei tangata a Ralph Hōtere, ki tana pukenga mahi toi, me tana āhua noho wahangu nā āna mahi e whakaatu ana e whakii atu anō mā āna mahi.
"There are very few things I can say about my work that are better than saying nothing." - Ralph Hotere
An elegantly woven documentary highlighting Hotere's works by acclaimed filmmaker Merata Mita, nāna i mea mai nei...
“To many he is a visionary with his finger on the pulse. Like his art, he is a man of ambiguity, allegory, beauty and complexity. Natural and religious symbols, the contradictions between sacred and secular, dark and light, are underlying themes, which serve the prophetic and aesthetic functions of his work.
“ It is left to us to turn the key to the door of communication in his works, on rectangular frames of celluloid, illuminated by shafts of pure light flashing through his black, and colour. The film does not view HOTERE through labels. And it does not deny the spectator's right to respond, to challenge, to accept, to reject, to plumb the depths, to become involved.”
- Merata Mita
http://www.filmsociety.wellington.net.nz/db/screeningdetail.php?id=65
Interviews: Rodney Kirk-Smith, Art Dealer; Patrick Hanly, artist; Marilyn Webb, artist; Peter Eyley, friend; Dr. Ngahuia Te Awekotuku; Albert Wendt; Russell Moses; Harriet Cotton; Jim Viviare; Murray Gilbert; Brett Graham.
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“The beauty, grandeur and mystery of Ralph Hotere's art has awed viewers and baffled commentators for over half a century.
“HOTERE offers a fascinating journey through forty years of art.
“Ralph Hotere is hailed as one of New Zealand's greatest artists, having exhibited throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, England and Australia.
In New Zealand he has executed a number of large public works, designed theatre sets, collaborated with some of the country's leading poets and sculptors, and more recently held a solo exhibition of key works from the 60s at the national museum Te Papa Tongarewa.
“Filmmaker Merata Mita is known for her landmark documentaries ’Patu’ and ’Mana Waka’. In HOTERE, Mita focuses on the elegance of the work itself, and features commentary from disciples, peers and friends of the artist.
Festival/Awards: Hawaii International Film Festival-USA 2001 Sundance Film Festival-USA 2002 Cinemanilla Film Fest-Phillipines 2002.” - New Zealand Film Commission; www.nzfilm.co.nz/film/hotere; http://www.filmsociety.wellington.net.nz/db/screeningdetail.php?id=65.