Neal’s first residency was the catalyst for what has become 12 years of research and upskilling as an artist. The backbone of Neal’s practice is printmaking and over time, with Pura in mind, she has extended her practice as a mostly self-taught weaver developing a strong interest in whatu and raranga.
“Over the years I have been able to combine printmaking and weaving together which has been a really beautiful thing. I think because of my mixed ancestry, my work is very much about fusion. It’s talking about those cultural constructs and where do I feel comfortable in that sense of identity.”
A mokopuna of Ngāti Awa/Te Ati Awa descent, Neal explores the duality of artefacts, the stories they hold, the narratives that stem from them and the histories they convey that form identities.
“I’m very interested in what those artefacts talk about, how they act as a portal to the past, what we can learn from them and how they evolve.”
Neal discusses the value of this residency and the opportunities it creates for artists and the community; its part in carrying the history of the region through multi-layered conversations and the subsequent works that become woven into the story of the Sarjeant. Working with Chris Scanlan, a descendant and kaitiaki of Pura’s collection at the museum, there was a generous exchange with Neal, bringing light to a much-revered ancestor’s story at the same time as the museum being able to support the artist’s research.
“I think we forget how important any institutional collection or museums are to our sense of history, what it provides and what those collections talk about. A lot of those artworks are artists or people that have gone before us who have paved the way for things to happen.”
Looking ahead to the reopening of the Sarjeant at Pukenamu this year, Neal was brought back to a memory of the first time she stood in the original gallery in 2003 alongside her colleague, Rodney Fumpston, for his retrospective show. Surrounded by the beauty and history of the space, she remembers thinking to herself, “I’m going to exhibit in this building one day”.
“It’s got the potential to be an incredible exhibition space for historical purposes but also for contemporary practice. I hope that it might also create more jobs in the community, I think that’s really important.”
Neal has maintained an active relationship with the Whanganui arts community over the years, especially with Toi Whakaata Print Collective and enduring friendships with those members who reside here. There are late-afternoon plans to meet at Castlecliff Beach.
“I’ve been having conversations about how a three-month residency gives you the time and headspace to develop a body of work that then impacts your practice - and still is - I can’t express enough how grateful I am for that time of the first residency. The Sarjeant have been incredible over the years. It’s a town that always pulls me back. Greg [Donson, the Sarjeant’s curator and public programmes manager] and the Sarjeant have given my practice light.”
The Details
What: Sarjeant Artist Talk — Alexis Neal
Where: The Nikaū Room at the Backhouse, 28 Taupō Quay
When: 7pm-8.30pm, Thursday, January 25
Bookings: Free entry — to book a seat contact (06) 349 0506 or info@sarjeant.org.nz
