The We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens! project began with Flora: Celebrating Our Botanical World, a trans-curatorial publication exploring Te Papa’s botanical collections. Published in 2023, the book drew connections between plants, people, and place, led through the collaborative work of Te Papa editors and curators Rebecca Rice (Art), ClaireRead more
Arts writer Ioana Gordon-Smith (New Zealand, Sāmoa) lives in Porirua and currently works as Lead Curator at Pātaka Art+Museum. Here, Ioana responds to the legacy of the trope of the Dusky Maiden as well as Te Papa’s short films from We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens! The illusion of theseRead more
Flowers are a central part of Pacific identity – especially for women. Archival representations of women and flowers centre on the trope of the Dusky Maiden. However, Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem (Nga Pu Toru, Alofi North) shows that Pacific women are reclaiming their relation to flowers, and in the process, revealingRead more
Curator Māori Moana at Pātaka Jacki Leota-Mua discusses what flowers have represented to her over her life and responds to We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens!, a series of five short films interviewing Pasifika women on the trope of the sensual ‘Dusky Maiden’ and the significance of flower culture inRead more
