Matt Tini

Through auto-biographical self-portraiture photography I explore ideas of Maaori identity, appropriation, cultural authority, and authenticity. In response to representations of Maaori produced by European artists I raise questions and prompt conversation on what it means to be Maaori in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. By appropriating artworks of Western classical history I disrupt essentialized and romanticized narratives and offer a counter-narrative exploring the complexities of Indigenous identity in a de-colonizing society.