“The whakapapa is connected here in this land because our ancestors have always been here since the beginning. […] They’ve always been here and they’ve always connected here, that’s why we’re still here. […] They’re in the land and we’re here with them.” —Star Gossage

Often autobiographical, Star Gossage’s paintings are imbued with the place they are made, Pakiri, on the northeast coast above Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. This is her tūrangawaewae, and she often incorporates elements from the area, such as clay used in this work, directly into her paintings – providing a direct link between the land, herself and her tīpuna.

(Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection, 6 August 2022- )