Jade Townsend
Jade Townsend (Ngāti Kahungunu) is a visual artist and curator working at the intersection of her Māori, Pākehā and British heritage. She describes it as a “non-fixed duality that ebbs and flows with contradictory cultural forces every day. My wairua – my spirit – connects to many seemingly disparate fields.”
She was born and raised in Whanganui before moving to Liverpool where she lived as a teenager. Townsend’s exposure to a wide range of accents, dialects, regional slang, folktale and pūrākau made her aware of the limitations of translation and cultural hybridity as a completely transparent process. For Townsend, her cultural identity forms in the non-translatable, the left-over and residual aspects of herself for which there is no interpretative counterpoint in relation to the other. Through art she records her experiences of peering through cracks of her societal backyards: exploring unity-by-way-of-public projects and partnerships.
Townsend recently brought together a group of artists in the project Whānau Mārama at Commercial Bay for their first Matariki celebration and Hauhake at Objectspace as part of the Caravannex On Tour artist in residence series. She has previously been awarded residencies at Artspace Aotearoa, Slade School of Art, London and Red Gate Gallery, Beijing. Townsend has exhibited globally across museum, gallery and concept store spaces. Jade holds a BA Hons Fine Art Painting from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Photo by Harry Were
What does leadership look like to you?
Jade: In leaders I admire there is often a palpable tension between being bold while also being deeply thoughtful. I observe those qualities most in artists, creative thinkers and musicians. Integrity and authenticity are the core principles I respect people most.
What are you hoping to get out of this experience?
Jade: Friendship, always. A chance to (re)imagine the future of arts in Aotearoa through the perspective of my peers. A greater understanding of the creative landscape in Tāmaki Makaurau. An opportunity to be challenged and evolve through my mentors guidance.
How does your community show up in your practice?
Jade: There are a multitude of ways communities are woven through my practice. The institutional or business community I might partner with for a project and the art, design and writing communities who shape the kaupapa. There is the intended audience and then those outside of that group who tautoko through their engagement, participation and by encouraging others to come and visit. I try to consider ways to offer diverse access points so that many people can experience or feel something from a project I lead.
