3. Robin White

On the subject of "the arts", after a grounding in the NZ (western) education system and art practice, and even after two decades of working collaboratively, there is so much that I need to unpack and reconsider. The art world that I function in as a "professional" has some very unhealthy aspects to it.  Robert Hughes does a terrific rant about it in a documentary he made called "The Mona Lisa Curse".  In the current climate I find that Unit 3 of Book 7 has been my constant "go to" place for recalibrating my thoughts, and finding assurance.  I'm also very very fortunate to be represented by art dealers who have worthy principles to operate by. So it's very exciting to hear, and be a part of, the conversations arising from a reconsideration of the value of art and its role as a factor in community development.  The thing I really relish and enjoy as an artist is problem-solving - having to figure stuff out in the process of doing something I haven't done before. It seems to me that this is the challenge that all of us face, whoever we are and wherever we are.  In that sense, I guess we all have to be artists.

Regarding insights from working collaboratively - I think the best thing I can do is refer you to a section of the book published by Te Papa Press (Robin White: Something is Happening Here)  It's on page 242 and the title is "Learning as we go: a conversation between Nina Tonga and Ruha and Ebonie Fifita".  For me it is the heart of the book. The insights it contains are profound and eloquently expressed.  I hope that by now you might have received a copy of the book via Mena - although I am still waiting to hear that she actually managed to get as far as Haifa. Meanwhile, I am thinking back to some advice that Ben Ayala gave to us in Kiribati when he was our Counsellor and I was one of the newly appointed ABMs.  He said something along the lines of: whenever you encounter a problem relating to a decision that is having a negative outcome, don't look at the individual or individuals who made the decision but look at the process by which the decision was made.  That advice has stayed with me and a focus on "process" has been central to our collaborative art projects.  It means paying close attention to fostering relationships, building unity of purpose, and developing our ability to consult - all within a culture of encouragement, an attitude of learning and the framework of the current plan.  When asked early on about my experience of working collaboratively I said it was liberating - that it liberated me from the confines of self and presented me with a wide open horizon.

I will attach a few photos taken in 2008 when Leba Toki, Bale Jone and I were working together in Lautoka on Suka Siti.  Every time I see these images I instantly recall the joy and laughter and the profound sense of gratitude for what we were enabled to achieve.