Nikau Hindinʼs works, with their rectilinear design systems and fine lines, are painted on bark cloth, made by beating and stretching the bark of paper mulberry trees. The culture of bark cloth is widespread in the island countries of Oceania, each with a different name and process for its cloth. In the Māori culture of New Zealand, the paper mulberry tree as a plant and its bark cloth are called aute. Hindin references traditional Māori textile designs such as tukutuku and tāniko in the patterns of her paintings, reflecting the traditional navigation techniques and stella lunar calendar for which her Māori ancestors relied on star movements. In Hindinʼs star maps, the horizontal axis represents the position of the stars on the horizon, while the vertical axis represents the time that the stars ascend and set in the sky.

Nikau Hindinʼs practice revives the aute tradition that has been extinct for nearly a century, shedding light on the history of her Māori ancestors, who recorded human existence in the grandeur of the universe through their genealogy. The Takita family in Tokoname, whose works are on display, prospered as a shipping wholesaler from the Edo through the Meiji eras. This place, which conveys the history of Tokoname as an important transportation hub connecting the Owari and Mikawa regions (both in todayʼs Aichi) with Edo, the Ise Bay area, and the Kamigata region, was also a dilapidated building that was revived by local residents.

The making of bark cloth and navigation both depend on the seasons, weather, and other forces of nature. The wisdom of the indigenous people, who were sensitive to the workings of the natural world and lived in harmony with the natural environment, offers us many hints at a time when global climate change has become an urgent issue. Through Hindinʼs works, which have taken shape over a long period of time, we too can envision a magnificent time that stretches from the past to the future.

Selected Works & Awards

2022

Kathmandu Triennial, Nepal

2021－2022

Naadohbii, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba, Canada

2021

pasapkedjinawong, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Saskatchewan, Canada

2020

Kathmandu Triennial, Nepal

2020

Kōkōrangi ki Kōkōwai (solo), The Dowse Art Museum, New Zealand

Exhibition

• Installation view at Aichi Triennale 2022
• Photo: ToLoLo studio