Te Matapihi - celebrating Matariki 2022

Curated by uku artist Stevei Houkāmau, Te Matapihi offers a glimpse into the world of a group of artists who are based or have spent considerable time in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Developing connections to the whenua and moana, Poneke has been a home away from home and they feel forever changed by the Mauri of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Stevei has brought together a group of artists across a diverse range of materials, including – Jamie Berry, Neke Moa, Isaac Te Awa, Victor Te Paa, Shainey Moreli, Miriama Grace-Smith, Gina Kiel, Xoë Hall, Suzanne Tamaki, Terence Turner, Keri-mei Zagrobelna, and Stevei Houkāmau.

Jamie Berry Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi 1. Nanny Huia Lightbox; 594 x 841 mm

$2500

This work is a portrait of my nan, her name was Huia, she passed away when I was 9. My mum told me this story of my nan's travels to the Pacific Islands in the 1960s. My nan was a good family friend and worked for J.Wattie (Wattie's) and his wife. My nan had to leave Wattie's due to sickness after 20 years of service, as a departing gift J.Wattie and his wife sent my nan on a tour of the Pacific Islands, on her return to NZ she reported back to J.Wattie why the Wattie's product was not selling well over there. It was because of the uninspiring, dull product design on the product. She brought back with her samples of materials, colours, and designs. This sparked a rebrand of Wattie's in the mid/late 1960s. She continued her friendship with the Wattie's family and became a nurse.

Jamie Berry, 2022

Neke Moa Ngāti Kahungunu ki Ahuriri, Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa 2. Puhihiri – Atua Pounamu, muka, shell, paint; L360mm; Pounamu 90 x 50 x 9mm

$2800

Neke Moa Ngāti Kahungunu ki Ahuriri, Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa 3. Purimānuka – Atua Kawakawa Pounamu, muka, shell; L410mm

$2800

Neke Moa Ngāti Kahungunu ki Ahuriri, Kai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa 4. Whareakēakē -Atua Pounamu, brass, paint, shell; L895mm

$2800

This series is an opportunity to reintroduce three Atua. Whareakēakē supplies the materials for this series allowing an opportunity to have her geographical story told. She also throws her support behind the other two Atua by reminding the artist/audience/people that before adornments were classified and valued through the colonial process, indigenous groups decided for themselves which naturally occurring materials they would use to dress themselves. Which had value and how they would be presented to uphold the mana of the Atua who created such beautiful things.

Purimānuka and Pūhihiri are minor Atua who have relationships with people on a wairua(spiritual) level, they have maintained their working relationship with people throughout the many reconstructions of society over time. Their mana enhancing scope includes very small acts of bravery that an individual must express, to huge times of social turmoil that leads to dynamic change and all things within this spectrum.

Whareakēakē is the Atua a Taunaha, of the beach carrying this name (near Ōtepoti). A well-resourced area for the creation of adornments which were not limited to pounamu, they included shell, bone, feathers, fibre. All these things were valued and had whakapapa in their own right. Whareakēakē is charged with protection of the mana of the Atua who have gifted the resources that can be used in the production of adornments. Many of these Atua taonga have a primary purpose, food, medicine, an ability to be manipulated into everyday use fibres and vessels.

Many also have reflective surfaces, or can be manipulated in form, or can be dyed, cut, carved, and arranged.

Whareakēakē challenges people to see the beauty in all found objects that are created by Atua, but not necessarily categorised as valuable by people.

Neke Moa, 2022

Puhihiri is the nervous excitement that builds up inside people just before the actioning of a major event. This anticipation is the spiritual connection between the individual and this Atua. The uncontrolled physical response is the cultural part of the relationship it shows as an actionable karakia, it could present as sweating, targeted focus, nervous fidgeting, or deep breathing. These physical actions are the acknowledgement of the anticipation before an event this process and is the realm of Puhihiri.

Purimānuka is also an Atua who assists people in times of individual nervousness. Purimānuka is the process of selfcalming in times of short-term heightened stress. The relationship begins when a person is in a process which they are finding stressful but want to see it through to the end. This could be an interview, a medical procedure, a difficult phone call. The feeling of stress is the spiritual connection between the individual and Purimānuka. The individual will have a collection of cultural coping strategies which they have developed over a lifetime, when they choose to apply these they are performing a physical karakia the spiritual acknowledgment of the relationship between the individual and Purimānuka.

Whareakēakē is the Atua a Taunaha, of the beach carrying this name (near Ōtepoti). This is the place where people would gather to create adornments, tools, and associated equipment. The various types of stone(mainly Pounamu) found for this specialist work, coupled with open ocean access and neighbouring kai gathering places, made this a perfect place for older tohunga artists to live their mahi alongside younger generations identified as potential keepers of this knowledge. This sacred place was packed with natural resources, which belong to the realm of many Atua. Food, fibre, land, water fresh and salted, is well sheltered for launching and landing of waka, shell.

Nā Paula Conroy (kaituhi, writer)

Isaac Te Awa Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha 5. Papaihoretanga ki ngā tupuna, 2021 (Korowai) POA Muka (New Zealand flax fibre), kōtare (Kingfisher) feathers, synthetic dye; 1200 x 1500mm Papaihoretanga ki ngā tūpuna or “In dedication of the ancestors” is a korowai - a form of kākahu or Māori cloak woven in the style and form common in the late 19th century. It is currently the only known modern korowai known to have been woven in this style in nearly a century. Papaihoretanga was completed over one year and four months.

The representation of land, place and identity is reflected in the adornment of kākahu, which are tangible representations of the land and environment people come from. Papaihoretanga is a physical manifestation of Isaacs return to Aotearoa, and his adaptation and reconnection to the Wellington region. The muka, or flax fibre was hand gathered primarily from all over Wellington, but also from all over the country including Maketu, Tairawhiti, Murihiku, and Hongoeka; representing a connection to the environment and the journey of exploration guided by whānau and friends, old and new.

“Papaihoretanga is an expression of my move home, a new job, a pandemic, a tribute to the tūpuna korowai I’m privileged enough to work with, the tūpuna with whom I share whakapapa that have left paths for me to follow, and everything I have learned in my weaving so far.”

Isaac Te Awa, 2022

Isaac Te Awa Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha 6. Poi kupenga, 2022 $890 Raupō (bulrush), muka (flax fibre), toroa (royal albatross) and duck feather, synthetic dye.

Poi 100 x 60 x 60mm; Handle 480mm

Isaac Te Awa Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha 7. Poi papakirango, 2022 Raupō (bulrush), muka (flax fibre), duck feather, paua shell, synthetic dye.

Poi 120 x 60 x 70mm; Handle 460mm

$1330

Isaac Te Awa Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha 8. Poi tāniko mau, 2022 Raupō (bulrush), muka (flax fibre), duck feather, paua shell, synthetic dye.

Poi 130 x 50 x 50mm; Handle 460mm

$1770

Poi raupō – A series of three pairs There are several forms of poi that were common to Māori pre-contact before the evolution of the modern bag poi commonly seen today for performance. In the past the use of poi was also much more diverse crossing the spectrum of tangihanga (mourning), karakia (incantation), pūoro (sound), maumahara (remembering), waiata (song), rongoa (healing) and many more. These poi explore the use of kupenga (netting) and papakirango (diamond lashing), and tāniko (fine finger weaving) from taonga held in collections in the Otago Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa.

Kupenga, a form of netting was used in the past to give form to the ball of poi, but in poi raupō like this it provides a functional structure and reinforcement to the ball, while giving the illusion of simplistic beauty in a structure which is complex.

Papakirango, or the diamond like pattern seen in these poi, is also the pattern utilised to make fly swatters. It is generally a pattern that is associated with mourning, but also in remembering and celebrating those who have passed on. It is also seen woven into in mats, kete, and other taonga.

Tāniko is the fine weaving commonly used to adorn fine kaitaka (cloaks), kete, and tatua. This weaving was also used in the adornment of poi ranging from full poi tāniko, to partial pieces like this example.

Isaac Te Awa, 2022

Victor Te Paa Ngapuhi, Tuwharetoa, kahungunu, Tongan 9. Hawaiki Series – Sky City, 2021 Triptych, Acrylic on canvas,76cm x 183cm

$6200

Kaupapa: A time traveler takes a selfie in a distorted timeline, an ancient civilisation transformed by a future world.

The urban metropolis of Hawaiki. Cultural cityscape seen through the eyes of time, present and past.

Shainey Moreli Ngāti Rangitahi, Te-Ati-Haunui-a-Paparangi, Ngāti Hāmoa 10. Puke Atua, 2022 Whakairo - Kaokao 3mm, Natural and boiled harakeke; H255mm x L390mm

$3190

Shainey Moreli Ngāti Rangitahi, Te-Ati-Haunui-a-Paparangi, Ngāti Hāmoa 11. Whakatō Kākano, 2022 Whakairo - Rau kumara 3mm, Natural and boiled harakeke; H185mm x L335mm

$2480

Shainey Moreli Ngāti Rangitahi, Te-Ati-Haunui-a-Paparangi, Ngāti Hāmoa 12. Te Awa Kairangi, 2022 Whakairo - Variation of Kaokao 3mm, Natural and boiled harakeke; H205mm x L350mm

$2840

Miriama Grace-Smith Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toarangatira and Ngāti Porou 13. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Boxed wooden canvas; L810 x H1200 x D15mm

$7080

Gina Kiel 14. Sun with many faces Oil and acrylic on canvas L800 x H1200mm, framed

$10,850

Dedicated to my father who passed away and to my son, Leo, who is named after him and who will carry a part of my father into the future, beyond me. Originally sketched out via a freestyle, channelling, drawing session during one of many times I sat outside my son's room as I guided him to sleep on his own after years of sleepless nights.

To the elusive and mystical nature of the sun's presence in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the constant longing to see and feel the warmth of the sun and the warmth of my father who I will forever miss.

Gina Kiel, 2022

Xoë Hall Kai Tahu 15. Hineahuone, Mother of Mothers, 2022 Acrylic on Ply Box 165 x 1205 x 910mm

$10,850

Suzanne Tamaki Tuhoe, Maniapoto 16. This is Stolen Land, 2022

photograph A3; 297 x 420mm

$2,500

Suzanne Tamaki Tuhoe, Maniapoto 17. Iwi not Kiwi, 2022

photograph A3; 297 x 420mm

$2,500

Suzanne Tamaki Tuhoe, Maniapoto 18. Trick or Treaty, 2022

photograph A3; 297 x 420mm

$2,500

250 years of colonization and we are still fucking protesting Photographic Triptych Photographer: Neil Price Subjects: Suzanne & Rameka Tamaki 250 years ago, James Cook sailed into Aotearoa and renamed it New Zealand.

Repeat, renamed. It already had a name.

In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed to protect Maori people, land, forests, fisheries and taonga. Following this Maori were killed, the land was taken by force, forests stripped, foreshore claimed by the crown, taonga stolen and appropriated for monetary gain. Trick or Treaty indeed.

Queen Victoria didn’t even deem to step her velvet slippered foot into the country, instead nominating William Hobson to sign the treaty on her behalf. Way to start a national bi-cultural relationship lady. Welcome to Aotearoa. Land of the wrong white crowd.

Terence Turner (Tainui) 19. A Lullaby For Asterion, 2022 Muriwai basalt, Arahura Pounamu and steel; H700 x L350 x D250mm

$25,000

Terence Turner (Tainui) 20. The Persistence of memory, 2022 New Zealand West Coast serpentine, Australian black jade; H160 x D200 x W120mm

$15,000

It's in the negative space that I find the humanity of an artefact. The intimate shape inside a shoe. The memory of the mountain that lingers around a carving. These spaces are home to the object's memory; they're where the stories live.

With this continuing series I'm exploring the way stories and myths shape, haunt, and define us, and how they've survived and evolved over millennia of memory, retelling, propaganda and repurpose.

I'm looking for the roots of these myths to connect the dots through time, space, and transition between the original intention with which they were made, and the meaning they've assumed for us today.

With a highly finished surface, an object may seem to represent a finished story, set in stone. My questions are about where the history ends, and narrative begins; what else is undiscovered in the raw stone.

Terence Turner, 2022

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 21. Mata Ariki, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua, Enamel; Chain W:14mm x L:550mm

$530

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 22. Stardust in my Eye, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua, Enamel; W25mm x L56mm

$115

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 23. Tuku, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, paua, Mother of Pearl; W25mm x L62mm

$235

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 24. Golden Sight, 2022

14ct GP, Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua; W25mm x L65mm

$330

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 25. Tuku #2, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver Paua, Enamel; W30mm x L65mm

$260

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 26. Tuku #3, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua, MOP; W28mm x L84mm

$250

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 27. Karu, 2022

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua, Enamel; W10mm x L27mm x 35mm

$245

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 28. Prosperity, 2022

14CT GP, Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua; W15mm x L48mm

$290

Keri-mei Zagrobelna Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui 29. Matau, 2021

Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Paua; W26mm x L80mm

$325

I dream of Matariki Cleanse the eye that sits above my head like a crown sparkled and draped in kowhai flowers Dripping in the honey of the light tip feathers of angels Spreading into the roots that hang me upside down from the tree Suspended like the tarot of the fool Where my feet reach up into the stars Where this is the right way round and there is no up and down just a floating sense of being

This is the place we seek to rest calmly and cry tears of joy and release

The body that carries so many lessons of the scars of future past and future to come The heritage of thousand ancestors flowing in the veins of a pulsed heart The heart that aches and carrys the aches of the reincarnated past Deep into the bowels of papatuanuku Let me skip and lay under Matariki and be soft and cooled and soothed on the burning of my thoughts Let the ice cold waters of my ancestral waterfall chill my toes Release me from this physical and take me deep into the ever never ending deep meditation of IO

Let us drift away and be cherished and cherish others

Be absorbed into the collective as we start spinning and spitting forever and eternally.

Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, 2022

Kōrero: Celebration of Papatuanuku and the adornment that is used to beautify and tell her stories, like wahine Maori there is an elegance and grace that lies within HUATAU shows a beauty while also showing resilience and strength. Fragile and precious yet strong and resilient …… Huatau.

Stevei Houkāmau Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne 30. Huatau II Whitestone uku, paint; 190 x 170 x 180mm

$1595

Stevei Houkāmau Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne 31. Kaitiaki o Mahaki Black uku, paint; 170 x 130 x 130mm

$1330

Kōrero: This piece is based on the Piwakawaka, for me growing up Piwakawaka something we were taught to be cautious of and I have many memories of my mum chasing them away from the house with a broom. One day Jamie and I we went out to her Marae Rongopai and as she was talking about a tree in the distance and the kaitiaki of the marae, two Piwakawaka appeared and flew around the tree as if they could hear her korero, from that moment on no matter where in Aotearoa we go, Jamie is visited by 2 or 3 Piwakawaka, on a ataahua afternoon in our whare we will hear the Piwakawaka calling to jamie. It is through her interactions with her kaitiaki that I have learnt to see the beauty of the Piwakawaka.

Stevei Houkāmau Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne 32. Ngutuau te hapu Black uku, paint; 130 x 110 x 110mm

$710

Korero: Ngutuau were said to be a hapu that whakapapa from Rarotonga and have settled in Wharekahika for a short while before disappearing due to raruraru unintentionally created. It is said that the bloodline of Ngutuau still exists through some of the whakapapa lines of wharekahika. This piece looks at the designs of Tā moko and Tatau and also takes influence from the lines seen in Sci fi movies, this is an exploration into how we consider past, present and future.

Stevei Houkāmau Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne 33. Hue o oku Tīpuna Black uku, paint; 130 x 110 x 110mm

$515

Korero: This is a mihi to my whakapapa (Hawaii) through the shape and whakapapa of the hue. Again, through markings I am exploring the similarities between Tā moko, tatau and sci fi designs.

Stevei Houkāmau Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne 34. Ira 2.0 Black uku, Paint; 55 x 65 x 65mm

$355

Korero: This kakano reps life itself and again I am looking at patterns that influence Tā moko, tatau and sci fi designs, past present and future.

Te Matapihi Artists Xoë Hall (Kai Tahu) is a painter based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She is of Māori, Danish, Irish and English descent. Xoë exhibits her paintings world wide and decorates streets and buildings of Aotearoa with her delightfully subversive murals. Legend, idols and worlds collide to create the unique hybrid which is Xoë’s work. Xoë is a member of the Dream Girls Art Collective.

Miriama Grace-Smith (Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toarangatira and Ngāti Porou) is a full-time artist, she is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington where she works from her studio at Toi Pōneke.

Miriama dabbles in a few different areas within the creative arts, as a curator, muralist, illustrator, fashion designer, film costume and art director. She is a member of Dream Girl’s Art Collective and designs in collaboration with New Zealand brand Moana Rd. Gina Kiel is an artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). She creates strong feminine images that exude sensuality and explore the human experience through ideas of life, death, spirituality, and pop culture using flowing lines and forms and bold, minimal compositions with a psychedelic palette. Gina is a member of the Dream Girls Art Collective.

Isaac Te Awa (Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha) has a diverse interest within te ao Māori and a passion for the reconnection of taonga to people, place and community. He works as a curator at Te Papa by day, but in his spare time he remains is an active practitioner of Māori weaving and carving with a special interest in the revival and documentation of traditional technique, knowledge and practice. Isaac initially learnt weaving at the feet of his koro as a child, but as an adult he has been taught and mentored

by Veranoa Hetet and Rangi Kipa.

Shainey Moreli (Ngāti Rangitihi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāparangi, Ngāti Hāmoa) only took up raranga two years ago. Taught by her mother, weaver Charlene Fraser, Shainey used to prepare the harakeke for her mother when she was younger, and has taken to weaving with natural talent.

Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (Te Ati, Whanau-a-Apanui) graduated from Whitireia with a BaPPa in visual arts in 2012 since her studies she has exhibited extensively in Aotearoa, Australia, Europe and America. Her chosen medium is adornment and jewellery based, and as well as her art practice she holds a history of public talks, lectures and teaching. She co-presented at the International JEMposium and represented New Zealand at the World Art Games in Slovakia 2015. Keri-Mei was also part of the New Zealand delegation that attended the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts, Guam in May, 2016. She was in the Handshake mentor/mentee program from 2016 - 2018 which saw her bring her research and artist exploration to fruition in London for exhibition. Keri-Mei has worked on public art commissions and exhibitions such as the Courtney Place Light Boxes in 2021. She continues to work from her Wellington based studio and as a jewellery tutor and artist mentor at The Learning Connexion, Wellington.

Neke Moa (Ngāti Kahungungu, Ngāti Matepū, Ngāti Wakāri, Ngāti te Ruruku, Kai Tahu, Tuharetoa, Ngāti Po rou) is a graduate of Whitireia, Wellington, where she works and lives. She has participated in the Handshake mentoring project, working with both Peter Deckers and Karl Fritsch. Ne ke represented Aotearoa at the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guahan 2016.

Neke has been working with Pounamu (nephrite jade) over the last ten years. “It has kept me intrigued, fascinated, and captivated.

It was the people from ‘Te Ao ohatu’, the age of stone, who first learnt to work pounamu, they were the inventors, experimenters, developers of the ways in which pounamu was eventually used and how it came to be the most precious element of all: Mana pounamu.”

Stevei Houkāmau (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Rangitāne) journey with Uku started with a small pinch pot at a Wananga with guest tutors Wi Taepa, Manos Nathan and Baye Riddell in 2011. From that

moment on, her fascination, commitment and love of Uku has continued to grow. Stevei is a member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku (Maori Clay workers Collective) and has been mentored in the early stages of her career

by Wi Taepa. Her works reflect the influence of her whakapapa and the impact and impression of her surrounding growing up in Porirua. You see a strong integrating of Maori and Pacific Island patterns that derive from Ta Moko and Tatau (tattoo). With a fascination and experience of Ta Moko and Tatau, Stevei is interested in how these art forms are used to accentuate and frame the body while telling stories of a people.... past present and future. Stevei has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has been part of nationally traveling exhibitions as well as having her first public Solo show “He Kakano” at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua in 2020.

Jamie Berry (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Ngā Puhi) Jamie Berry is a Multidisciplinary Artist who creates multimedia work that explore Aotearoa histories while reflecting on identity and whakapapa. Originally from Tūranganui-a-kiwa and resides in Pōneke. Jamie’s practice is based on her whakapapa, past, present and future focused. Reimagining these stories through digital content, DNA soundscape and moving images.

Terence Turner (Tainui) has always made things. using object and physical form as a language to communicate story. He creates by deriving a core concept from an abstraction, leaving the observer to join their own dots, thus touching on the universal longing for identity, connection and culture. Tere enjoys the capacity of certain objects to speak for themselves, via medium, form, and personal reference; and to hold their own place in time and culture. In his work with pounamu, Terence seeks to explore the fluid importance of the stone. The diverse and changing tikanga and oral traditions around the stone, as well as the stories behind each piece of rock, give it a life of it's own that can be honoured and reflected in his carving.

Victor Te Paa (Ngapuhi, Tuwharetoa, kahungunu, Tongan decent) Trained at Toihoukura and Toimairangi under the direction of Sandy Adsett and Derek Lardeli. His painting practice extends into tā moko, tatatau and tattoo. Te paa paints in such a way that reflects the cultural milieu of this environment, with illustrative techniques from tattooing filtering through into his painting practice. While strong Māori and Pacific influences from carving, tā moko and tatau, are prominent in the artist’s work, there are also a complex range of cultural influences from Asia and Europe, such as the stylistic and symbolic reference to Gustav Klimt, Swiss biomechanical fantasy artist Hans Ruedi Giger, and Japanese tattoo imagery.