Pāua

Whether its glimmering surface evokes nostalgia or cultural cringe, pāua is undeniably linked with the visual character of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pāua: A Contemporary Jewellery Story reveals contemporary jewellers’ impressions of how a shell infiltrated our national psyche: exploring everything from its use in Māori whakairo rākau (carving) and the rehabilitation of soldiers to its appearance in kiwiana and souvenir shops. 

Dazzling and contemplative, this exhibition included over seventy works from The Dowse Art Museum, Auckland Museum, Te Papa and private collections. It also featured pieces belonging to Hutt Valley local Wendy Judgeford, who commissions leading jewellers to explore what pāua means to them.

With a focus on circumstances that inspire makers, this story highlighted a key moment in the 1980s, when contemporary jewellers worked to uplift pāua from its souvenir status. It went on to consider how over the last forty years, waves of jewellers have used pāua to create work that comments on personal responses to the tastes, environments and histories of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Artists in Pāua: A Contemporary Jewellery Story were Alan Preston, Anna Balasoglou, Areta Wilkinson, Brian Adam, Craig McIntosh, Elena Gee, Frances Stachl, Gina Matchitt, Inia Taylor, Jane Dodd, Jennifer Laracy, Jenny Pattrick, Karl Fritsch, Lisa Walker, Maca Bernal, Moniek Schrijer, Neke Moa, Owen Mapp, Pauline Bern, Paul Mason, Rangi Kipa, Ray Mitchell, Ross Malcolm, Roy Mason, Ruth Baird, Sandra Schmid, Sharon Fitness, Vanessa Arthur and Warwick Freeman.

The Dowse Art Museum | 19 July - 20 November 2022