Pete Morris Art blogger www.sunlive.co.nz

In mid-2010 I had the privilege of selecting 12 of our local artists for the ‘Double Vision' exhibition that went on show in September at the Creative Tauranga Community Gallery on Wharf Street.

Twelve Tauranga writers and 12 Tauranga artists paired up and worked together to present words and pictures for the exhibition.

The show was very well received and later the work of both artists and writers was published in a book put together by Tauranga Writers' Jenny Argante entitled ‘Double Vision – a Collusion Between the Verbal and the Visual'.

Linda Munn was one of those artists and she submitted two captivating works; one called ‘Scent of Perfumes Past' and the other ‘Ao Parauri'.

The evocative subject matter and composition of these two pieces captivated me at first sight and added much to the overall quality of the exhibition.

Munn, (Maori ko Ngapuhi , Ngati Pukenga , Ngati Atiawa , Ngai Tahu and also Scottish, Irish and French ancestry) is a prodigious artist who paints strong images about Maori culture and whanau often on large loose canvases.

Linda's paintings can also be found on furniture, suitcases and many other supports. This committed artist also works using other media and has had a longstanding interest in clay.

Linda Munn at work in her studio.

She is known by many art followers and an increasing number of New Zealanders as one of the designers of the Tinorangatiratanga flag which has come to represent Maori unity and is now flown on many public occasions.

'All I ever wanted from the flag was the true meaning about unity and self-determination,” says Linda.

Munn has had an ongoing interest in the nation's politics. The anti-nuclear movement and the opposition to the 1981 Springbok Tour were events that helped shape her political beliefs. Linda also had an early awareness of her Maori identity.

Events she observed early in life that have impacted on Maori life and culture have been the well-spring for her continuing participation in matters pertaining to the growth of Maori culture.

Among Linda's artistic influences are Manos Nathan, Wi TeTau Pirika Taepa and Nigel Borell and it was through their mentoring that Linda´s mature art really began. In the last five years she has developed the confidence to embark on a career in painting.

Linda's recent paintings reflect a return to the polychromatic past of Maori art before some museum curators and art experts decided that all Maori art should be red, black and white.

Her vibrant palette signals the emergence of a new exciting Maori art that is being embraced by a whole new generation of Maori artists.

Painting by Linda Munn.

She is beginning to explore more difficult subject matter that may cause discomfort to both those who are familiar and to those new to her work.

These new paintings have now been extended to looking at the deliberate marks made on the body at times of deep emotion and grief. In customary times during tangi the women in highly emotional states and wrought with grief would mark their bodies so that blood was spilt. The marks made are referred to as haehae, a term used in Maori whakairo and parallels can be made to that art form and the mark making ideas Linda is expressing on canvas.

Munn is about to take her art to the world and made her international debut in Melbourne recently. She has plans to exhibit solo in New York at the Steve Amedee Gallery in Tribecca. She is interested in finding out where her art fits in a global context, to showcase the culture of contemporary Maori art and what it means to be a Maori after 170 years of European colonisation.

The two main drivers in Linda's life are whanau and her art. She is interested in furthering art in the community and spends much of her time focused on supporting women's and children's rights while volunteering her time to pass on information regarding Maori art and cultural beliefs.

She has nearly completed her art studies at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design and continues to produce paintings that challenge and educate the viewer.

To find out more about Linda's art visit www.lindamunn.com

Pete Morris is an occasional painter and an art lover. He is a free-lance writer who has a particular interest in promoting the visual arts in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.