PROVENANCE Private Collection, Auckland Purchased from Anna Bibby Gallery, 2005

Heather Straka's groundbreaking exhibition Paradise Lost, 2005 revisited and reinterpreted portraits by Gottfried Lindauer and Charles Frederick Goldie. Drawing upon her own unique vision and serene tonal technique, Straka adds elements of interest creating specific cultural imagery. Paradise Lost deliberately commented on contemporary New Zealand society by way of acknowledging the different layers and lenses of our shared colonial past. Tukukino Te Ahiataewa was the subject of Gottfried Lindauer's 1878 portrait.

The subject of this nearly twenty year old painting, The Gate Keeper, is Tukukino Te Ahiataewa, a respected 19th Century Rangatira and land activist. He holds a Tewhatewha, a weapon befitting a chief, whilst a Huia nestles on his shoulder.

The halo signifies sainthood and the heart, the divine light of love. Straka contemporises Te Ahiataewa's presence thereby deepening our ability to connect with him. The Gate Keeper continues Lindauer's narrative, further elevating the subject to a powerful, full-hearted and dignified chief.