Robin White
Robin White (artist) | New Zealand b.1946 | Leba Toki (artist) | Fiji b.1951 | Bale Jione (artist) | Fiji b.1952 | Teitei vou (A new garden) 2009 | Natural dyes on barkcloth, woven pandanus, commercial wool, woven barkcloth and sari fabric mats | Purchased 2009. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
A collaboration involving New Zealand artist Robin White and Fijian artists Leba Toki and Bale Jione, Teitei vou is deeply imbued with themes of ritual, exchange, love and unity, and adopts the form of stencilled barkcloth, or masi, traditionally displayed at Fijian weddings. It draws on representations of the diverse cultures making up present-day Fiji, including Pacific Islander, Indian and European motifs; Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian imagery; and depictions of native flora alongside Middle Eastern terraced gardens and plantations of imported sugar cane.
Significant to both the reading of the work and the spirit of its undertaking is the iconic Shrine of the Bab, in Haifa, Israel, an important place of worship for those of the Baha’i Faith, a faith shared by all three artists. With the masi’s emphasis of harmony in diversity, the inclusion of the Baha’i House of the Bab, which was destroyed during the Iranian Revolution, represents a resolution of past conflicts. That the work itself was produced through an artistic collaboration is fitting – the work’s meaning is embodied in the spirit and importance of living and working together.
