May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and we’ll be celebrating the occasion by highlighting a

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and we’ll be celebrating the occasion by highlighting a few artworks from our permanent collection made by Asian and Pacific artists.Lisa Reihana, a Māori (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāi Tū) artist based in Auckland, New Zealand, uses photography, sound, and video to create a “Digital Marae” populated with ancestral figures. Historically, tohunga whakairo (master carvers) would have carved such figures in wood throughout a marae (meeting grounds). Reihana’s use of digital media allows her to re-envision what a marae can be and to renegotiate the often gendered restrictions on carving. This image depicts the imposing fire deity Mahuika, from whom the hero Māui obtained the secret of making fire.Posted by Meghan BillLisa Reihana (New Zealander, born 1964). Mahuika, from the “Digital Marae” series, 2001. Digital photograph, 79 x 46 in. (200.7 x 116.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.27. © artist or artist’s estate (Photo: Photograph courtesy of the artist, CUR.2007.27.jpg) -- source link

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