Since 1998 Jason Hall's jewellery has been asking questions about Pakeha identity.

His work represents a consistent struggle to negotiate being Pakeha through an awareness of the traditions and craft of contemporary jewellery in Aotearoa.

Since 1998 Jason Hall's jewellery has been asking questions about Pakeha identity.

His work represents a consistent struggle to negotiate being Pakeha through an awareness of the traditions and craft of contemporary jewellery in Aotearoa.

'1839 Exchanges: Jewellery by Jason Hall' has landed at Objectspace following recent Australian outings at Craft Victoria, Craft ACT and Artisan gallery.

1839 Exchanges: Jewellery by Jason Hall' is an exhibition about jewellery, identity and cultural exchange explored through a series of amulets created for Frederick Edward Maning, an Irishman who arrived in Aotearoa in 1833 and became a trader.

Maning is a well known Pakeha Maori, a term that refers to Europeans who lived as Maori in the early phase of colonisation. Maning, who initially advised Maori not to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, later became a land court judge in the 1860s, and a member of the European colonial gentry.

Most cultures have made use of the amulet, in which a part of what is feared (commonly a tooth or claw) is strung up and worn in order to ward off the object of fear.

Hall's works draw a parallel between the amulet and the tension that sits at the heart of settler societies around the question of native and indigenous, and explores how settlers might construct a convincing claim of belonging to a land they have stolen. '1839 Exchanges: Jewellery by Jason Hall' is curated by Damian Skinner.

The catalogue features essays by Skinner, and David Colquhoun, curator of Manuscripts at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.

Jason Hall is an Auckland based jeweler. His work is featured in New Zealand and International public and private collections. This is his second solo exhibition at Objectspace.

Also on show at Objectspace during October is 'Objectspace Limited Editions 2008'. The editions commissioned for sale this year are by Tangimoe Clay and Richard Stratton. Also featured at Objectspace are 'Fold', a window installation of new works by architect and glass artist Ainsley O'Connell, and in the Objectspace Vault, a very rare selection of 18th century glass from the private collection of Peter Webb.

What: 1839 Exchanges: Jewellery by Jason Hall

Where: Objectspace, 8 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland

When: Opens Saturday 11 October - Closes Saturday 8 November 2008 Gallery hours: Tues - Sat, 10am - 5pm, Free admission http://www.objectspace.org.nz

Objectspace is a dedicated centre for craft and design that puts objects into play through exhibitions, publications and events.

06/10/08