'A Veiled Legacy ' 2001 <Ask
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Acrylic and mixed media on board , series of 4 - 90 x 115cm each .
" In these works Prince explores the effects of 1880’s colonial
legislation on Maori women. Maori customary law did not distinguish between
men and women, but under English law women's property became the property
of her husband, therefore effectively confiscating Maori women's rights to
their land in mixed marriages. It is recorded that in Hawkes Bay a large number
of Maori women refused to enter into marriage in order to retain their land
and mana. Hounding dogs and bridal veils are just some of the images that
feature in 'A Veiled Legacy'.
Diane
Prince - Born 1952 - Maori (Ngati Whatua / Nga Puhi)
' A Veiled Legacy ' 2001
Diane Prince was born in Wellington, and descends from the tribes of Nga Puhi
and Ngati Whatua. Prince is a multi-media artist: painter, weaver, installation
art practitioner and an award winning set designer who has been exhibiting
nationally and internationally over the last fifteen years. A long time veteran
of Maori politics and land struggles, her work is a visual expression of her
strong stand on Maori rights and Maori women's issues. Writes Witi Ihimaera:
"Her works consistently eyeball the ongoing failure of Crown and leaders
to recognise Maori Sovereignty and are concerned with providing strong symbolic
platforms on which Maori can stand".