Forthcoming
Made in the Pacific: A Collection of Tāoga
28 March –
11 October 2026
Serene Hodgman Little Star 2022. Trim, silk ribbon, commercial woven plastic mat. Courtesy of the artist and Masterworks Gallery
A selection of Pacific tāoga from the Canterbury Museum in conversation with contemporary artworks that highlight the continued strength in culture and traditional art forms.
Featuring contemporary works by Louisa Afoa, Serene Hodgson, Jimmy Ma’ia’i, Sue Pearson, Pauline Reynolds, Doron Riki-Semu.
My Gallery
Upcoming Event
Related
Exhibition
Cora-Allan: Encountering Aotearoa
13 April – 25 August 2024
A major body of new work that considers the whenua from the vantage point of the moana.
Commentary
Awhitu Wānanga
Made in the Pacific: A Collection of Tāoga celebrates Pacific tāoga, bringing together examples made by moana ancestors with new work by their distant mokopuna.
The museum treasures in this exhibition are by makers who gained their knowledge from elders and specialists in their communities. Their work contains precious cultural histories within both the materials and visual language.
Interview
A Shift in Place
After Encountering Aotearoa opened at Dunedin Public Art Gallery I spent time reflecting on whether I was happy with the body of work and how it conveyed the journey I had taken with my Pāpā and my relationship with the whenua.
Commentary
Encountering Aotearoa: Whenua, Place and Practice
I stand staring at a painting of Motupōhue Bluff Hill. Being from the far south myself, its shape is instantly recognisable, its silhouette painted in vibrant colours that mirror the way light reflects on the real Motupōhue. The paint used to create this familiar scene is made from whenua, and includes pukepoto, the rich blue pigment that comes from the land near the hill: my whenua. There’s a resonance between the work and its materials that makes it special, layered with connections that reflect my own identity and experiences, reaffirming memories and a sense of belonging.