Paul McLachlan
Mai-Mai on the Mataura
Acrylic and rusted iron on canvas
ARTIST STATEMENT
This work depicts a duck shooting mai-mai on the Mataura River, carved into layers of thick paint, where rusted iron oxide and painted surface evoke the camouflage netting used during shooting season. Historically, the river was a significant site of mahinga kai (food gathering), a past reflected in the layered marks of the painting. The engraved surface reveals imagined fossils, woven motifs, and spectral impressions; a palimpsest of memory, land, and intertwined cultural histories.