Matariki at The Suter
/Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades, a cluster of stars that appear in New Zealand’s mid-winter night sky. The appearance of Matariki signals the beginning of a new year. Matariki is also a time to remember the dead and to acknowledge the cyclic nature of life.
In earlier times, Matariki or Māori New Year celebrations were widely celebrated throughout Aotearoa. Certain foods were harvested and the forthcoming crops were planted - it was a bountiful time. Matariki was often marked with the flying of manu tukutuku (kites), celebration and wananga - the transmission of tribal lore.
Matariki celebrations began to wane in the 1900s and had practically ceased by the 1940s. In 2001, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) revived the celebrations as a way to support te reo Māori regeneration. Matariki has since become a popular and widely observed mid-winter festival involving schools, community groups and national organisations; from mid-winter feasts and lantern parades, astronomy and gardening workshops, to projects like the Matariki stamp issued by New Zealand Post.
On Friday 24 June 2022, New Zealand will celebrate Matariki as a public holiday for the first time.
A journey in understanding Maramataka and traditional celestial navigation practices through the revitalisation of aute, Kōkōrangi ki kōkōwai is a major solo exhibition by artist Nikau Hindin (Ngai Tūpoto, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi).
Currently on view in our Hercus Gallery, Kōkōrangi ki kōkōwai showcases Nikau’s knowledge and commitment to contemporary art through indigenous genealogy and revitalisation practices, specifically in aute and documenting the movement of celestial bodies.
Nikau Hindin: Kōkōrangi ki Kōkōwai
Also on view is Stevei Houkāmau: Ira Tangata Ira Atua. In this series of works, Stevei Houkāmau affirms whakapapa as the centre of her uku practice. Stretching through and beyond her personal biography, the works in this exhibition connect with legacies of Māori making, migration from te Moana nui a kiwa, and kinship ties with Atua.
Featured prominently in the exhibition are the Whakapapa Chains. These are physical manifestations of the links that connect us to our past and future. We are each part of a long line, a kākano in a chain that reaches back for generations and will continue on long after us.
But we are never lost; we will always be a part of the chain, strengthening it for future generations.
Stevei Houkāmau: Ira Tangata Ira Atua
On view now at The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū:
Stevei Houkāmau: Ira Tangata Ira Atua
On view 18 June - 2 October, 2022
Nikau Hindin: Kōkōrangi ki Kōkōwai
On view 4 June - 13 August, 2022
