Artspace Aotearoa welcomes new Assistant Curator Tyson Campbell

Artspace Aotearoa are proud to announce Tyson Campbell as the new Kaiāwhina Whakaaturanga Assistant Curator of Artspace Aotearoa for 2020/2021. The role evolved from the curatorial internship that ran for over ten years. This position offers a clear curatorial development opportunity for a starting practitioner to work with the Artspace Aotearoa team on the 2020 and 2021 programmes.

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Tarakeha te maunga
Ko Moetangi te awa
Ko Te Rarawa te iwi
Ko Taomaui te hapū
Ko Matihetihe te marae
Ko Tūmoana te whare
Ko Rihari Kamira toku tupuna Papa

Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Pirongia te maunga
Ko Mangapu te awa
Ko Ngati Maniapoto te iwi
Ko Ngati Kinohaku te hapū
Ko Waipatoto te whare
Ko Oparure te marae
Ko Te Raurangi Hohepa toku tupuna whaea

For the past three years Tyson has worked as an artist, writer, community facilitator and independent curator based in Naarm Melbourne and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Over the last two years, through his involvement with Blak Dot gallery, TCB art inc, and Artspace Aotearoa, Tyson developed an emerging curatorial practice that centres contemporary Indigenous artistic practices.

‘I have taken the initiative to elevate world-Indigenous kinship ties from the position of being Māori: Critical Indigenous studies is at the core of what I do. As an active and engaged member of cross-cultural discourse that emerges between the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand contexts, I believe my perspective, and lived-experience have a relationship to all disciplines of knowledge that enact themselves on colonised territories.”

Tyson’s current work focuses on Indigenous strategies toward shifting institutional structures and how culturally grounded and communitarian ways of knowing - conversational, celebratory, and respectful kanohi-kitea - can initiate change within such settings. Tyson is interested in cultural mechanisms that move us away from the polarised dichotomy of Indigeneity and institutional critique and from representation as a determining ideology in contemporary art discourse.

'We are incredibly excited to have Tyson on board and to be able to open a two way street of institutional and personal experiences, dialogues and exchanges departing from viewpoints of indigeneity, internationality and a straightforward human approach that Tyson advocates for. Obviously in these times it is crucial for these opportunities to exist and the whole team is looking very much forward to work with Tyson this year.'

   - Remco de Blaaij, Artspace Aotearoa Director.

We would also like to thank the Artspace Aotearoa Board (Desna Whaanga-Schollum, Hamish Coney, David Newton, Roberta Tills, Layne Waerea and Chantel Matthews) for their involvement and guidance in the recruitment process.

Artspace Aotearoa receives major funding from Creative New Zealand's Toi Tōtara Haemata Investment Programme 2020-2025 and Foundation North Community Grant 2019