“Controversy Erupts as Non-Māori Artist’s Indigenous Work Sparks Heated Debate Over Cultural Identity”
The Auckland-based painter seemingly first introduced the portrait in 2022, and was already facing some heat, as an Instagram user called her art an âembarrassment.â
It was an exhibition presenting MÄori artists’ work
Image credits: artist_hazelhunt
After she shared the portrait again in 2023, another person wrote that it was âcringeâ. In March 2024, Hazel stirred a slew of negative feedback again on Instagram, as a viewer penned: âFirst of all, pronounce MÄori properly before you appropriate our culture for monetary benefit.
âSecondly, she does not look more beautiful in the painting, her features have been colonised by your eyes and paint brushes. Just stick to what you know sis!â
A separate individual chimed in: âCanât even say MÄori and want to profit off painting our culture, how cringe.â
Image credits: artist_hazelhunt
According to Krystal Warren, a senior lecturer at Massey University, incidents where white-identifying individuals appropriate spaces curated for marginalized communities, such MÄori people in New Zealand, often occur.
âYes, [it happens a lot],â she told Bored Panda in an email. [Itâs a] symptom of settler colonialism.
MÄori settled in New Zealand from East Polynesia from the eleventh century onwards, Minority Rights Group explains.Â
The artist was barred because sheâs not part of the indigenous community
Image credits: artist_hazelhunt
As Europeans settled in New Zealand in the 19th century, MÄori, as individuals and communities, were the subject of racism and discrimination, according to Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
