Episode notes
This episode features 'Aro Toi/ Art Collection in Focus' curator Sophie Thorn speaking with artist Cora-Allan on Saturday 16 September 2023, in a floor-talk associated with the exhibition 'Back of House'.
Cora-Allan is of Māori (Ngāpuhi, Ngātitumutumu) and Niue descent. A contemporary practitioner of the Niue tradition of barkcloth known as hiapo, Cora-Allan is credited with reviving the ‘sleeping artform’ which has not been practised in Niue for several generations.
In this conversation Sophie and Cora-Allan discuss the material processes of harvesting whenua paint and the materials science of producing natural dyes as they relate to Cora-Allan’s three works on hiapo, on display in ‘Aro Toi /Art Collection in Focus: A Gift, A Celebration, An Invitation’.