Cosmo McMurtry

19 to 24 April 2007
Federation Court, NGV International

Cosmo McMurtry is major work by critically acclaimed New Zealand contemporary artist Michael Parekowhai. Concerned with popular culture and identity politics, Parekowhai’s works interrogate the history and impact of New Zealand’s colonial past via both Maori and pakeha (non-indigenous) perspectives. Rich with cultural and historical references, his works encourage multiple and often contradictory points of view. Read against the broader context of his practice, which typically examines relationships between Maori and European cultures, Cosmo presents more questions than he answers. Is he the cute, defenceless bunny that his benign exterior suggests, or a malevolent symbol of colonial expansion? Like many of Parekowhai’s works, Cosmo McMurtry operates on a universal level via the popular appeal of kitsch while simultaneously engaging with issues that are historically and geographically specific.

The Melbourne Art Fair Foundation Commission

The Melbourne Art Fair Foundation Commission was established in 2006 to provide a significant opportunity to a living artist to realise a large-scale work for exhibition.  A key component of the Melbourne Art Fair Foundation's charter is the promotion of contemporary art and the ethical representation of living artists.  To this end, the Foundation undertakes key programming and policy initiatives, which directly benefit the work of living artists and assist in developing audiences for contemporary art. In 2006 Melbourne Art Fair Foundation commissioned Michael Parekowhai to create this work. The Foundation is proud that the work has been gifted to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.