World-renowned contemporary artist, Fred Graham, has been honoured by the Governor General and named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), for his services to Māori art.
The family of the late Fred Graham was in attendance to accept the award on his behalf and was fondly remembered as a pioneer in contemporary art.
Kathryn Graham, daughter of Fred Graham, says she is proud to see that her father’s legacy is still remembered.
“For us, it’s bittersweet, really, but it is a recognition of our Father’s meaningful role that he played in the contemporary Māori art movement, and he was one of the last originators alive.”
Furthermore, Graham’s son, Brett Graham, who followed his father into the world of art, says he is grateful to have seen his father in action.
“Māringi nui ana ahau ka tipu ake a au ki tana taha. Ia rā, ia rā, ka kite atu a au i āna mahi, te āhua o āna mahi, kua tae mai ōnā hoa, me kī ko ia te mōrehu o tērā whakatipuranga.”
‘Contemporary art pioneer’
Graham, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 95, was widely recognised around the world for his sculpture work, carving and art.
Graham began his art career studying to become an art teacher in schools across the country, and was further named as the head of Art Departments in many North Island schools.
He established himself as a full-time artist in 1984.
His work has been featured in exhibitions around the world, including Canada, in 1986, as part of the International Carvers Exchange and carved Eagle with a Salmon for Port Alberni, British Columbia, Te Waka Toi: Contemporary Maori Art exhibition, which toured the United States in 1994.
One of his last commissioned pieces representing Aotearoa and Te Ao Māori where displayed at the Venice Biennale, which is recognised as the ‘Art Olympics.’
Kathryn Graham says he held a deep love for indigenous art and sharing stories with fellow indigenous artists.
“He loved travelling and meeting people and meeting other indigenous people.”
His work is also displayed around the country, and spent his career fusing tikanga Māori with Western abstraction.
One of his more recognisable pieces sits in the Auckland Domain and was named ‘Kaitiaki’, which is a black hawk that features in the oral histories of Ngāti Whātua.
However, his whānau remembers a father full of love.
“Dad was really famous for his bad jokes. So, he was the originator of the ‘Dad Joke.’ So, we would just know them all and roll our eyes every time he told a joke. But other people loved it; they were new to them, but we’d heard it all before,” says Kathryn.
“I ngā wā ka hoki mai ia i ngā puna waihanga me ngā wā ka hui rātou ko ōnā hoa, ngā ringatoi, whērā i a Para, i a Selwyn mā, i a Cliff mā, ka kata rātou i te katakata, ehara i te mea he toimaha ngā whakaaro i ngā wā katoa. Ka katakata rātou. He mīharo ki a au nei te hōhonutanga o te harikoa, o te katakata,” tā Brett i kī ai.
