Rangatahi express themselves through art

Late last year a group of rangatahi artists and their friends and whānau came together for the opening of the Hōmai Haumaru exhibition in Ōtaki.

The kaupapa was focused on giving rangatahi space to express their thoughts and feelings on mental health issues and suicide, by creating art.

The exhibition was the result of months of wānanga (discussions) and hard mahi, and was an opportunity for the artists and their creations to be celebrated.

The kaupapa was created by Hohepa Thompson, better known through his art and activism as Hori, an artist, designer, gallery and café owner, and an advocate for te reo me ōna tikanga Māori. Born and raised in Ōtaki, and previously a high school teacher, Hori is well known in the area and is familiar with many of the local rangatahi.

Hōmai Haumaru evolved from a series of exhibitions of the same name that Hori put on during the 2020 Covid lockdown. These exhibitions explored similar topics, resulting in heavy, confronting, and deeply personal pieces of art.

“That was the catalyst for it”, Hori says. “I drew from my previous exhibitions to create something that would work for rangatahi.”

With support from Te Puni Kōkiri through the Rangatahi Manawaroa Fund, this version of the Hōmai Haumaru kaupapa was born.

Hori and the rangatahi artists spent time together sharing kōrero on their lives and their hauora (health), while covering artistic techniques and preparing works for the exhibition, discussing how to best express what they were feeling through their art.

“Art is such an important tool to tell a story”, Hori says. “Especially for the tough guys, it’s a way for them to be vulnerable and really express how they are feeling.”

Several other artists and speakers came to kōrero with the rangatahi during their wānanga, including Ōtaki Today columnist Pera Barrett, Xoë Hall, Miriama Grace-Smith, Tāme Iti, and Kereama Taepa. These well-known creatives gave the kaupapa a broader focus, bringing different artistic mediums and discussions to the table.

The long-awaited exhibition was in mid November at Te Toi o Hori gallery, Ōtaki Beach.

Artists had the option to speak about their work if they felt comfortable doing so. Several of them took on this wero (challenge), surprising their whānau with open kōrero on some difficult issues, which can often be accompanied by a sense of whakamā (shame).

“It’s all about normalising this kind of kōrero,” Hori says. “Sometimes you are going to have a bad day or a bad week – it’s about having the tools to be able to deal with that.”

Te Puni Kōkiri Te Tai Hauāuru regional advisor Lia Forrest says that the need for rangatahi programmes in the area was evident.

“We did a regional engagement tour and met with rangatahi providers to figure out what the landscape actually was,” she says. “The Horowhenua and Kāpiti region had the worst statistics for rangatahi within Te Tai Hauāuru [Māori electorate]. The engagement told us that these rangatahi basically had nothing to do.”

Hori adds: “Boredom can be deadly.”

Hori is keen to expand Hōmai Haumaru, opening it up to more rangatahi across Aotearoa and widening the scope of the programme, using other mediums for rangatahi to express themselves, such as music and dance.

The exhibition at Te Toi o Hori was open for a month, and this year the artwork is going to be part of an exhibition in Toi Matarau, the Māoriland Hub art gallery. The individual works are then planned to be auctioned, with funds raised going to Gumboot Friday

“Art is enduring,” Lia says. “It tells a story and the story remains, so it keeps living. The stories told by these rangatahi will live through their art.” n Hori Gallery, 84 Moana St, Ōtaki. thehori.co.nz

Toi Matarau Gallery, Maoriland Hub, 68 Main St, Ōtaki. toi.maorilandfilm.co.nz

From left Pairoroku Rikihana (Queenie Rikihana’s greatgrandfather), Tioriori, Raniera (Danny boy) and Tiemi Rikihana (known as Pukupakaru – Aunty Gabriel Rikihana’s grandfather).