Pātaka Art+Museum is delighted to announce that Auckland-based curator, Ioana Gordon-Smith, will join its team as Curator Māori Pacific / Pou-ruruku Whakaaturanga Iwi Taketake o te Moana on 4 November.

“Ioana has her finger on the pulse when it comes to contemporary art, artists and cultural practices, but she also has a great eye for the bigger social picture, “ says Reuben Friend, Director, “She brings an energy and passion for art and curatorial practice, particularly with Moana communities, that will really resonant with our local and international visitors”.

Gordon-Smith (Sāmoan (Faleula / Le'auva'a), English) grew up in Porirua and lived there until 2013. She is clearly looking forward to returning, “I think Porirua is underrated as a hub of creativity. It's overachieving if you consider how many curators have come from Porirua! It will also just be nice to be back around family as a support system”.

“Pātaka has a notable commitment to supporting and presenting indigenous art practices,” says  Gordon-Smith, “I'm excited to put that at the forefront of curatorial thinking and to consider how to engage the multiple communities, politics and practices that make up contemporary Māori and Moana arts".

Gordon-Smith, who is known as both a curator and an arts writer, leaves her curatorial role at Te Uru Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland to join Pākata. Prior to this, she was Curator at Objectspace, and the inaugural Education Intern for Artspace Aotearoa. Ioana also contributes regularly to a number of catalogues and journals, has been a regular Pasifika correspondent for Radio New Zealand and is a member of the community-focused art collective Whau The People. 

Gordon-Smith’s most recent exhibition, From the Shore, was shown at Pātaka earlier this year. It brought together a group of contemporary artists to celebrate the moving image influences of Merata Mita and Barry Barclay, two of the earliest and most influential Māori film makers in Aotearoa New Zealand.