26.10.2023 – 21.01.2024
Exhibition opening 26.10.2023 18.00
Ron Te Kawa
Image credits
Artist: Maungarongo Te Kawa
Title: Hineteiwaiwa
Date: 202
Medium: Fabric
Photograph by Seb Charles
Te Whare Pora: A Sacred Space presents works by artist Maungarongo (Ron) Te Kawa of Ngāti Porou (Aotearoa/New Zealand) from the past three years, alongside three new quilts reflecting the core pou (pillars) of his practice: Te Whare Pora, the sacred zone of making; Hineteiwaiwa, the guiding atua (deity) for creativity; and Waipunarangi, the source of ancestral guidance and inspiration.
Over two decades, Te Kawa’s distinctive quilting style has explored mātauranga Māori (knowledge) and his whakapapa (genealogy) through bold colour and a tactile application of materials. Breaking the rules of traditional quilt construction, many types of fabric are masterfully stitched together to illustrate scenes from his imagination, his history and the stories of the people influential to his life.
Te Whare Pora: A Sacred Space illustrates critical ideas within te ao Māori (the Māori world) through Te Kawa’s unique energy and aroha (love) and the utterly democratic way in which he approaches creating. He offers these works in celebration of indigenous ways of being, seeing and doing, and in particular to acknowledge the strength and resilience of Sámi makers. We hope this exhibition is an opportunity for us to share and connect.
Curator: Zoe Black (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Pākehā) Exhibition design: Turumeke Harrington (Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne, Ngāti Toa Rangatira)
