KEY POINTS:
One of Maoridom's most influential artists will be honoured in an exhibition opening tonight, in the lead-up to the Manukau Festival of Arts.
Buck Nin, who died in 1996, was known in Maori circles and the art world for his moves to introduce contemporary Maori art and culture to mainstream society.
Dr Nin - of Maori and Chinese descent - is also known for his achievements as a teacher, his role in Maori art education and restoring the painted ancestral house of Maori leader Te Kooti.
Now former students of the Buck Nin School of Fine Arts - once part of Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Mangere - will exhibit their works, including paintings, sculpture and raranga (weaving), to honour his achievements.
Curator Serene Tay said the works recognised the stance that Dr Nin took.
"Coming up around the 60s as a Maori artist, it was hard to be taken seriously. It was not easy as it is now, to say, 'We are contemporary Maori artists and this is what we do'.
"He was really influential in rejuvenating Maori art and making it contemporary art," she said.
Tay acknowledged that the exhibition would demonstrate other sides to Maori art and culture. "Maori art can be more than just panels on a wall and carvings in the marae. Contemporary Maori art shows that."
The exhibition, Students of Buck Nin, will open at the Mangere Arts Centre, Shop 17, at 6pm - leading up to the Manukau Festival of Arts, which begins on October 30.
