This September, Sharjah Art Foundation unveils Emily Karaka: Ka Awatea, A New Dawn, the first major survey of the work of Senior Māori artist Emily Karaka, a descendant of the many iwi [tribes] of Tāmaki Makaurau, the Auckland Isthmus, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kahu and Ngāti Hine.  Largely self-taught, Karaka is an abstract expressionist, a colourist and an occasional assemblage artist. Born of the politics of colonisation, her work is personal, passionate and anchored in Māori rights related to the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Described by Karaka as ‘political landscapes’ or ‘self-portraits personal in the landscape’, her paintings embody her ongoing advocacy for iwi justice and equity. Recognised for their expressionistic intensity, saturated colour palette and often ambitious scale, her canvasses carry messages of Māori sovereignty, social justice, care for the environment and love for her family.

Karaka is of Ngai Tai ki Tāmaki, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Te Awhiwaru, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Tāhinga, Ngāti Kahu and Ngāti Hine descent. Ka Awatea, A New Dawn is the first major exhibition of the artist’s oeuvre. It highlights the immediacy of her practice as a political artist, her influence as an iwi leader with cultural knowledge and tribal history carried within her work, and her power as a painter. The exhibition brings together selected works drawn from public and private collections, across her five-decade career, alongside new work commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation.

Emily Karaka: Ka Awatea, A New Dawn is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director and President of Sharjah Art Foundation, and Megan Tamati-Quennell, of Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Mutunga, Taranaki, Ngai Tahu, Kāti Mamoe and Waitaha descent, co-curator of Sharjah Biennial 16, with Amal Alkhaja, Assistant Curator, and Abdulla Aljanahi, Curatorial Assistant at Sharjah Art Foundation.

Visiting the exhibition

7 September–1 December 2024, Galleries 1, 2 and 3, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah
9:00 am–9:00 pm, Saturday to Thursday | 4:00 pm–9:00 pm, Friday
Free admission. Advance registration is required at sharjahart.org.

About Emily Karaka

Emily Karaka (b. 1952, Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa New Zealand) is of Ngai Tai ki Tāmaki, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Te Awhiwaru, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Tāhinga, Ngati Kahu and Ngāti Hine descent.

Karaka’s paintings draw on diverse art-making traditions, including abstract expressionism and toi whakairo, the Māori practice of carving in wood, bone or stone. Characterised by dazzling colour and emotional intensity, her compositions frequently incorporate text and reflect the artist’s longstanding advocacy for Māori sovereignty and autonomy. 

Karaka’s works can be found in the collections of institutions such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She recently produced major paintings for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020) and the landmark survey Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art at Toi o Tāmaki (2020).

About Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.

About Sharjah

Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.

Media Contact

Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113