John Puhiatau Pule (born 18 April 1962) is a Niuean artist, novelist and poet. The

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galler ...

describes him as "one of the Pacific's most significant artists".Description of John Pule's painting ''Kulukakina (after experiencing something miraculous, withdraw)'', 2004
on the Queensland Art Gallery's website

Early life

Pule was born on 13 April 1962 in Liku,

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

, and arrived in New Zealand in 1964. He was educated at Mount Albert Grammar School in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

.John Pule
in ''The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature''

Literature

Describing the beginning of his literary career, Pule explained: :''“I just wanted to write about growing up in New Zealand, and about being the youngest of 17 kids and about migration—but I wasn’t sure how to organise ideas, so I just started writing.”''"The Bifocal World of John Pule: This Niuean Writer and Painter Is Still Searching For A Place To Call Home"
, Scott Whitney, ''Pacific Magazine'', 1 July 2002 He also described his writing as a means of "decolonizing his mind". His work expresses his experience as a Niuean in New Zealand: :''“My heart and my thoughts were always on Niue. But here I was living in Aotearoa on someone else's land. Writing helped change me, painting helped change me. I went back to Niue as often as I could, and I'd weed and clear the graves for my family and friends' families. It's a way of saying I'm back. ..We go back home o Niuewith our

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

s and our jeans and we think we know things. But the local people just think we're stupid. They know where all the trees are and the pathways and where the mythologies and the stories live."'' Pule's first novel, ''The Shark that Ate the Sun'' (''Ko E Mago Ne Kai E La''), was published in 1992. ''Burn My Head in Heaven'' (''Tugi e ulu haaku he langi'') followed in 2000, and ''Restless people'' (''Tagata kapakiloi'') in 2004. His published poetry includes ''Sonnets to Van Gogh and Providence (1982)'', ''Flowers after the Sun'' (1984) and ''The Bond of Time: An Epic Love Poem'' (1985, 2nd ed. 1998, 3rd ed. 2014). In 2000 Pule was the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

Literary Fellow and in 2002 took up a distinguished visiting writer's residency in the department of English at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. In 2005 he was awarded an art residency at Roemerapotheke, Basel, Switzerland and in 2004 he was honoured with the prestigious Laureate Award from the

Arts Foundation of New Zealand 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...

. In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Pule was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services as an author, poet and painter. He was awarded the

Ursula Bethell Mary Ursula Bethell (pseudonym, Evelyn Hayes; 6 October 1874 – 15 January 1945), was a New Zealand social worker and poet. She settled at the age of 50 at Rise Cottage on the Cashmere Hills near Christchurch, with her companion Effie Pollen, ...

Residency in Creative Writing at the University of Canterbury in 2013. Poetry by Pule was included in ''UPU,'' a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020. ''UPU'' was remounted as part of the

Kia Mau Festival The Kia Mau Festival, previously called Ahi Kaa Festival, is a biennial performing arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand. In te reo Māori, kia mau is "a call to stay - an invitation to join us". The festival covers Māori, Pasifika and in ...

in Wellington in June 2021.

Artwork

Pule's artwork includes painting, drawing, printmaking, film-making and performance. The topics of his work include Niuean cosmology and Christianity, as well as perspectives on

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

and

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

. His work comprises both painting on canvas and bark cloth painting, a traditional

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n artform. Pule was a guest professor of creative writing at the

University of Hawai'i A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

in the spring of 2002. In 2005, he co-wrote ''Hiapo: Past and present in Niuean barkcloth'', a study of a traditional Niuean artform, with Australian writer and anthropologist Nicholas Thomas.University of Otago
/ref> Since 1991 Pule has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the USA, the Pacific and Asia. From 1996 to present he has held solo exhibitions in New Zealand, and in Melbourne Australia at the Karen Woodbury Gallery. In 2005 he exhibited at the Galerie Romerapotheke in Zurich. Pule's work has been represented in three Asia-Pacific Triennials at the

, Brisbane (2006, 2002, 1996), and his painting ''Tukulagi tukumuitea'' (''Forever and ever'') (2005) was illustrated on the front cover of the 2006 exhibition catalogue. Other selected group exhibitions include ''Amanakiaga'', Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne (2007); ''Turbulence'', the 3rd Auckland Triennial, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki (2007); ''Paradise Now!'', Asia Society Museum, New York (2004); South Pacific Arts Festival, Belau (2004), New Caledonia (2000), and Samoa (1996); ''Iki and thanks for all the Ika'', Contemporary Arts Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania (2003); ''People Get Ready'', Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, (2000); ''Wake Naima, Creating Together'', Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa (1998); Kwangju Biennale, Korea (1995); Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa (1995); '' Bottled Ocean'', New Zealand touring exhibition (1994); '' Te Moemoea no Iotefa'', curated by Rangihiroa Panaho for the Sarjeant Art Gallery in 1990. ''Hauaga'' (Arrivals) was a show of Pule's art organised by

City Gallery Wellington City Gallery Te Whare Toi is a public art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. History City Gallery Te Whare Toi began its life as the Wellington City Art Gallery on 23 September 1980 in a former office block located at 65 Victoria Street, now ...

in 2010, which toured other galleries around New Zealand, including Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland. Pule's work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane;

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, Canberra;

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

, Melbourne; Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington; Chartwell Trust Collection, Auckland; Wellington High Court, Wellington; and the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

, Scotland.

References

External links

Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Artworks in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

"New Zealand Literature File", Library of the

John Pule
at the New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre
Example of Pule's painting
at the

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.html" ;"title="Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa">Works by John Pule in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
">Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa">Works by John Pule in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

About John Pule and his work, Christchurch Art Gallery

John Pule on Artabase

John Pule
at Gow Langsford Gallery * Robert Leonard
Unnerved: The New Zealand Project
''Eyeline'', no. 73, 2011
Interview with John Pule
Standing Room Only, Radio New Zealand National, 2015
John Pule 2012 exhibitionJohn Pule 2009 exhibitionJohn Pule 2007 exhibitionI know of a shore 2009Selected works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pule, John 1962 births Artist authors New Zealand painters Niuean artists Niuean painters Niuean writers New Zealand male novelists New Zealand poets New Zealand male poets Niuean emigrants to New Zealand Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Living people People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School University of Hawaiʻi faculty