CHARLOTTE GRAHAM
KĀWAI WHĀRIKI RAU EXHIBITION
“I live in Piha, on the edge of Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa.
The forest, tides, winds, and textures of this coastal landscape are constant sources of inspiration. My practice involves long hours outdoors, where the elements shape both my art and my relationship with the atua. Through this connection, I find form, pattern, and meaning in nature”.
- Charlotte Graham
ABOUT Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Ngāti Kotimana.
Charlotte Graham is one of New Zealand’s interdisciplinary artist’s. Known as a conceptual Māori artist, she is mana whenua mandated by her iwi. Graham confidently tests different materials to engage in indigenous dialogue.
Kāwai Whāriki Rau speaks to ancestral lineage, connection to land, and the abundant weaving of the hue (gourd) vine. For me, the hue is more than a plant — it is a taonga species, a cultural treasure deeply rooted in our spiritual and traditional practices. The hue connects us to our atua, our whenua and our pūrākau.
Over the past four years, we’ve been cultivating hue on our ancestral lands as part of a ten-year taonga species and cultural project endorsed by my iwi, Te Kawerau ā Maki. This mahi reconnects me to our tribal knowledge systems, enriching my Māori identity and grounding me in the daily rhythms of water, earth, and care. Our current pā hue is planted on land damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 — a stark yet beautiful canvas now brought back to life by the spreading vines of hue and regrowth.
