Kezia Whakamoe, HĀUKATI

HĀUKATI

Kezia Whakamoe and Hā artists

Ahuriri Contemporary
6A Hastings Street
Napier South
Napier 41 10
Aotearoa (New Zealand)

08 – 31 July 2022

Nothing soothes the trenches of trauma. They exist, as the dichotomy of grief and life, intertwined and unshakeable. In te ao Māori, this concept is woven throughout our stories, sung through our songs and exists in the tension of our tikanga. The way we exist in the world is reflected by our spectrum of experiences and in the realm of toi (art) this element can be seen in a multitude of ways.

Its beholding and appreciation, however, can only be experienced by the individuals own personal relationship to the material being presented. Kezia Whakamoe (Tūhoe, Ngāti Ruapani) is one of Aotearoa’s most experiential, grounded and thought provoking caretakers of the phenomena that is the evolution of self in the face of great, unshakeable trauma. Through HĀUKATI, Whakamoe confronts the individualism of colonial art by weaving the experiential collectiveness of ngā toi Māori (Māori art) into a space.

Throughout Whakamoe’s mahi, they wield Mātauranga Māori as the central pou, inviting the beholder to experience the evolution of self through the journey the artist has taken. In laying this invitation, they provide a revolutionary challenge: that grief, collectiveness, community and evolution can each exist safely within the confines of a single truth—life preservers.

Utilising tikanga Māori through audio and visual components creates an immersive space through which the art communicates. Throughout the space, clues to this kaitiakitanga (guardianship) can be found in the winking of eyes, the scent of fresh dirt and the use of te taiao (the natural world) to communicate evidence of life in death. By utilising the natural elements of our environment, Whakamoe invites our ātua into the space and liberates the symbiosis we continue to foster. This relationship is central to the task of evolving beyond the confines of colonial machinations, and is unwaveringly unique to this particular body of work, by this incredibly brave artist. In providing evidence of life after grief, the work explores the relationship between ritual, sustainability and spiritual practice as an expression of mahi toi (art). Although this concept is an integral aspect of ngā toi māori, it’s in the weaving of it—the vast depths of its experimentation, tha the beholder is able to comprehend how transformative the works are.

Ngā toi māori are some of the oldest truths we hold—we hear them in our stories, we carve them into our wharenui and we weave them into our karakia. Te ao māori is synonymous with the persistence of life, and life is synonymous with death. Death is a birth, birth is a death. And as change wields its wild tail across our spaces, we see this truth. Here, with HĀUKATI, Whakamoe invites us to move beyond the beholding of art by challenging us to transform alongside it. Hā ki roto, hā ki waho. We breathe.

— Rangimarie Sophie Jolley

Installation view, Kezia Whakamoe and Hā artists, HĀUKATI, Ahuriri Contemporary, July 2022

Kezia Whakamoe, Hinenuitepo, 2020, canvas, beeswax, 61.5 x 41.5 cm

Kezia Whakamoe, Kaweka, 2020, canvas, beeswax, ferret, 61.5 x 41.5 cm

Kezia Whakamoe, Raumati, 2022, fine art print, 30 x 42 cm, edition of 10

Kezia Whakamoe and Kauae Raro research collective

“Decolonising ‘nuclear families’ and the gender of our ātua Rā Reka, Takurua and Raumati remain lovers in their own realms; their images seared timelessly. Many of our tūpuna had their images taken and used without their consent, recontextualised for the takers benefit. I will never forget my father’s abject rage and dismay at the discovery of our kuia’s nameless face on the back of a German guide book at the aquarium souvenir shop. All he could do was to buy the guidebook so no one else would. My kuia’s name is Rangiwaitatao Turuwhenua. This series, made in collaboration with Kauae Raro, returns the sovereignty of ownership to myself. I own my image. I photograph myself. I choose to show the images of my face. As with any autonomous relationship, it’s all about consent.”

— Kezia Whakamoe

Kezia Whakamoe, Takurua, 2022, fine art print, 30 x 42 cm, edition of 10

Kezia Whakamoe, Matariki
2022, window hangings: canvas, whenua, wax, 178 x 93 cm approx each

These pieces have gone through a month-long ceremony. Beginning on the Tangaroa moons of the old year, the ritual began that would culminate in the exhumation of these works to mark the recent rising of Matariki. The canvas bodies were buried in the body of Papatūānuku; they were sung over, marked with whenua, salt and sweet waters, and taken through ritual processes aligning with the intention of the ceremony — To embody the Mātauranga of these stars as taught by Tūhoe tohunga Dr Rangi Mataamua To understand their whakapapa, to learn their names and purposes. To understand why they are beloved by our people. To bring this knowledge into our daily lives.

Installation view, Kezia Whakamoe and Hā artists, HĀUKATI, Ahuriri Contemporary, July 2022

Installation view, Kezia Whakamoe and Hā artists, HĀUKATI, Ahuriri Contemporary, July 2022

Hā artists, REST AS RESISTANCE

Installation view, HĀ, REST AS RESISTANCE, Ahuriri Contemporary, July 2022

A group presentation of works within the exhibition by Wahine Toa. Rest as a concept has evolved from lockdown periods during the COVID pandemic. People have been forced to stop and stay in haumaru, a place where one must reflect. Rest is a form of resistance for this group of wahine toa.

Hā will provide a space for the audience and artists to ‘rest’ together. Artworks will cover mattresses and the space will be filled with a soundscape and interactive light works to create a scenario of calmness in Ahuriri.

Audiences are invited to join the artists and rest together in the gallery. Textile artworks will cover a collection of mattresses that can be laid upon. A unique soundscape and visual artwork/moving image will create a calm sensory environment within the busy town centre of Ahuriri.

Includes Jamie Berry, Lanae Cable, Tegan Hautapu, Kelly Jarvis, Emma Kitson, Gina Matchitt, Renee Paku, Te Kahureremoa Taumata, Rongomaiaia Te Whaiti, Vanessa Wairata Edwards, Kezia Whakamoe, Tessa Williams

Renee Paku (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Maniapoto), Ringatoi weū wurū, wool and acrylic, hand crochet. Installation view, HĀ, REST AS RESISTANCE, Ahuriri Contemporary, July 2022

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