Mata Aho Collective Tīkawe (detail) 2022. Harakeke, cotton, zinc-coated metal. Commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased by the W.A. Sutton Trust, 2022
Mata Aho Collective Tīkawe (detail) 2022. Harakeke, cotton, zinc-coated metal. Commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased by the W.A. Sutton Trust, 2022
Mata Aho Collective Tīkawe (detail) 2022. Harakeke, cotton, zinc-coated metal. Commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased by the W.A. Sutton Trust, 2022
This exhibition is now closed
An ambitious installation that soars across the architecture of the Gallery.
Multiple braided strands of harakeke descend from the skylights, zinging across the foyer ceiling. These kawe are a celebration of the strength and significance of harakeke. Kawe were often used to carry heavy loads from one place to another; here Mata Aho reimagine this customary technology through the use of trusty tie-downs.
Commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. Purchased by the W. A. Sutton Trust.
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Date:
15 September 2022 – 11 March 2025 -
Location:
Foyer -
Curator:
Melanie Oliver -
Exhibition number:
1151
Related
Exhibition
Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection
6 August 2022 – 21 July 2024
Making room for fresh voices, untold narratives and disruptive ideas.
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
Welcome to the summer 2022/23 issue of Bulletin. Since our last magazine was published I’ve been enjoying the view from my office window, which takes in a new installation that fills the high void above the Gallery’s reception desk. Tīkawe is the first work the Mata Aho Collective have created with harakeke, braiding 530 metres over several months. An exceptionally beautiful addition to our foyer, it’s lovely to watch the shadows Tīkawe casts move and morph as the spring sun tracks across the sky. My thanks to the W. A. Sutton Trust for funding this new commission and addition to the Gallery’s collection.