Linda Herrick reviews Mark Adams: A survey | He kohinga whakaahua by Sarah Farrar and Mark Adams for NZ Listener:
'"Gaze upon these works spread out for us, treasured images to be enjoyed by generations to come." So begins a translated version of Emeritus Professor Ngahuia te Awekotuku's te reo foreword to this magnificent survey of photographer Mark Adams' 50-year career, companion to a major exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery.
Before opening the pages, gaze upon the cover, wrapped in a striking photo sleeve of the Toot & Whistle Steam Railway in Kuirau Park, Rotorua, which Adams shot in 1986 (or 09.06.1986; his works are precisely annotated). Look closely and see a Rotorua where culture was appropriated for a tacky tourist attraction, the wheku (face) mounted above miniature rail lines flanked by geothermal steam and a ring of tyres. It's a melancholy fragment of history. The miniature trains sounded their final toot 20 years ago.'
Read the rest of the review here.
