In this work, Ōtautahi Christchurch-based artist Conor Clarke interprets a Māori practice of shielding the eyes when passing wāhi tapu. Made while completing the Tylee Cottage Residency in Whanganui, Clarke heard about the practice from mana whenua. Out of respect for Tongariro as a living tupuna, a string of leaves or a woven object would sometimes be used to cover the eyes in order to avoid the temptation of looking up at the peak. Clarke’s work presents a way of thinking about significant landmarks as places to be honoured and revered, rather than climbed or conquered.

wāhi tapu ~ sacred places

mana whenua ~ people with territorial rights over tribal land

Tongariro ~ mountain in central Te Ika-a-Māui North Island

tupuna ~ ancestor

He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil (from August 2024)

Compare British Museum number 1872,0810.745

Text is an important feature in Mary-Louise Browne’s art. She explores the visual and symbolic power of language, using familiar phrases from popular culture to reveal how words have different interpretations depending on their context. The saying ‘seeing is believing’ takes on new meaning in an art gallery, where we are surrounded by things that have been constructed by artists for us to look at. By using leadlight windows in a wooden door, Browne suggests permanence, but the words themselves suggest something less solid and reliable – inviting us to question whether all is as it seems.