The Arts

Maori art is unique among all art movements, and to Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on centuries of indigenous knowledge and skill, it reflects a Maori world view, life in this land and the debates that continue to shape it. Based on the ground-breaking 2020-21 exhibition staged by... Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, and edited by the show's curator Nigel Borell, Toi Tu Toi Ora tells the story of contemporary Maori art from the 1950s to the present day, with more than 200 works by 110 Maori artists. From carving to painting, video art to jewellery, body adornment to weaving, this is a powerful expression of the vast creativity and diversity within Maori art, linked across time and place through the Maori creation story and revealing profound connections to whakapapa, to whenua and to the spiritual world. Every work is illustrated in full colour and described in illuminating captions that are bilingual in English and te reo Maori. A beautiful foreword by Moana Jackson and the author's informative introduction share the history of contemporary Maori art within a kaupapa Maori worldview. These are supplemented by a comprehensive chronology of contemporary Maori art by the exhibition's assistant curator Taarati Taiaroa, and detailed biographies for every artist, written by expert curators and art historians. This is a major resource on toi Maori for anyone interested in the culture or history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Kia maia! This is the art book Aotearoa has been waiting for! It resets the potential of all our dreams and creates a powerful poutama to the future. - Witi Ihimaera
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* Landmark book about the New Zealand life of the exceptional artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser * Follows the opening of the Hundertwasser Art Centre, Whangarei * Reproduces many of the artist's works along with extensive photos, drawings and ephemera

Finlay Macdonald's beautifully told, visually gorgeous biography of Dame Lynley Dodd and her creation, the rascally dog Hairy Maclary. 'A visual delight' NZ Listener's 100 Best Books of 2013 'Lynley Dodd is a national treasure, and this excellent book shows us why.' Weekend Press... Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy has been read and loved by millions since its 1983 publication. Its protagonist's shaggy face and mischievous eyes are now iconic. But what of his creator? 'People don't believe me when I tell them that Hairy Maclary fell out of a book - literally - but he did. It was just a scrap of paper I'd tucked between the pages of my ideas book, as you do. And I picked it up and thought, well, yes, I could do this. So I did.' In The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd, Finlay Macdonald tells the tale of how a small girl raised in Kaingaroa Forest became the illustrator and virtuoso wordsmith behind so many picture books that are living classics. But this is not just a story about a storyteller, it is a book that explores Lynley Dodd's working world. What is the secret behind her stories' linguistic dexterity? How does her paintbrush capture the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic expressions of her animal characters with such precision? As well as many favourite and familiar book illustrations, this volume contains never-before-seen sketches and cartoons, character roughs and picture-book drafts. The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd is both a tale of remarkable success and a window into a brilliant creative mind. This new paperback edition has been updated to include Lynley's latest story, Scarface Claw, Hold Tight! and the sellout exhibitions of her artwork over the last decade.
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Combined here are Maus I: A Survivor's Tale and Maus II - the complete story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, living and surviving in Hitler's Europe. By addressing the Holocaust through cartoons the author captures the everyday reality of fear and the sensation of survival.

Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat.