’A’ore atura te rahi ato’a o taua mau toa ra i fa’aea e ta’aroa ’tura te arapo’a
Then all the warriors did not cease chopping until the sinews of the throat were cut asunderRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments
12 x 19 x 28 inches ×
Detail, The Great Fish Changing Skies as the Vast Marae of the World
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008 ×
Detail, The Great Fish Changing Skies as the Vast Marae of the World
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
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Detail, The Great Fish Changing Skies as the Vast Marae of the World
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
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The Great Fish Changing Skies as the Vast Marae of the World
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, glass, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments, wood, acrylic, polyurethane
Dimensions variable ×
The Great Fish Changing Skies as the Vast Marae of the World
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, glass, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments, wood, acrylic, polyurethane
Dimensions variable ×
A fâ roa i te tai, tai fâ roa a te i’a taui ra’i, teie a riro ai Tahiti nei
It appeared away off in the sea, the sea that appeared in the distance, of the fish changing skies; this is what became TahitiRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments
4 x 76 x 144 inches ×
Rua-tupua-nui te tumu; a noho oia I te vahine, ia Atea-ta’o-nui, fanau maira ta’na ari’i o Feturere
Rua-tupua-nui was the origin; when he took for wife Atea-ta’o-nui, his princes the shooting stars were bornRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments, glass, wood, acrylic
5 x 7-1/2 x 14 inches ×
A fâ roa i te tai, tai fâ roa a te i’a taui ra’i, teie a riro ai Tahiti nei
It appeared away off in the sea, the sea that appeared in the distance, of the fish changing skies; this is what became TahitiRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Volcanic sand, coal slag, silicon carbide, aluminum, epoxy, mineral pigments
4 x 76 x 144 inches ×
Rua-tupua-nui te tumu
Rua-tupua-nui was the originRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Ink on paper
30 x 22 inches ×
The Great Fish Changing Skies
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008Ink on paper
6-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches ×
Te atua vahine mana ra o Pere
The Great Goddess PereRECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
Ink and pigments on paper
Dimensions: 15-3/4 x 15-3/4 inches ×
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES, 2008
RECITATIONS FROM THE GREAT FISH CHANGING SKIES continues Alexander Lee’s exploration of the anthropic process and the cultural construction of the other as it manifests in what the artist refers to as “an ecology of carnivorous relationships.” Continuing the narrative started in THE DEPARTURE OF THE FISH trilogy, the exhibition revolves around a central sculpture, titled The Great Fish Changing Skies which embodies at once the geologic formation of an island, its colonisation by early native inhabitants, and plumets with a nuclear mushroom cloud, a reference to France’s 30 years nuclear tests in French Polynesia. The artist cast the lower tectonic plates in volcanic sand and resin, from a rock formation in the Matavai bay, historic landing site site for early European navigators and Evangelisation. The molten volcanic explosion as mushroom cloud was hand shaped with expandable foam and constructed in situ, taking over the entirety of the front gallery space.
Behind, a room of drawings and small sculptures concludes the installation. The Great Fish Changing Skies tells its own story through “Stations of the Cross” type of visual mementos.
Finally, the entire installation served as a backdrop for a performance titled Drawing Recitations from the Great Fish Changing Skies.