Te Papa opens refreshed art space to the public
On Saturday 28 June, New Zealand's national museum reopens its two-level gallery space Toi Art.
The suite of exhibitions at Toi Art feature a mix of new Te Papa acquisitions and beloved works from the collection by iconic artists like Ralph Hotere, Michael Parekōwhai and Maureen Lander.
A beautifully woven piupiu (flax garment) installation by Lander - which Te Papa purchased in 2014 - is a standout for the museum's Curator Mātauranga Māori Isaac Te Awa.
"For me personally, Maureen Lander’s 'Huna' is my favourite, that representation of a wāhine atua (female deity) made out of harakeke, I’m also a weaver, so that’s my bias."
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Diversity of media is certainly a feature of the new Toi Art exhibitions, Te Awa says.
Clay, harakeke, wood and even neon strings all have a place as part of the mahi toi (artwork), which he puts down to the rich history of Māori artistry.
“We have a huge history of creativity and that hasn’t stopped with colonisation, our practices continue to evolve, our people are really clever and we look for new ways to tell our stories and our pūrākau and our kōrero."
A group of life-sized clay wāhine perform a karanga in Shona Rapira-Davies's 1988 installation 'Nga morehu' (The survivors).
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
When entering the revamped Toi Art space, visitors are greeted by two monumental artworks - one made of burnt timber and the other of fired clay.
Nga morehu by Shona Rapira-Davies (Ngāti Wai) features a group of wāhine made of fired clay performing a karanga.
Opposite that is Black Phoenix by Ralph Hotere (Te Aupōuri), built from the charred timber of a Dunedin fishing boat which Hotere saw burning on TV in 1984.
"Ralph is iconic in the story of New Zealand art, not just Māori art, but New Zealand art. He redefined and he changed what Māori art can look like for a generation. He passed away in 2013, and his legacy is still really strong, really inspiring and really beautiful," Te Awa says.
Ralph Hotere created his 1994 installation Black Phoenix from the burnt wreckage of a Dunedin fishing boat.
Reproduced courtesy of Ralph Hotere / All Rights Reserved
The new Toi Art exhibition is quite a "mixed bag" of new commissions and acquisitions, and beloved works from the national art collection, he says, including Maureen Lander’s installation String games, which was created for Te Papa’s opening in 1998.
“It’s part of our heritage, and it’s an opportunity for people to see some of the old taonga that we have in our collections. But we also have new acquisitions that have come out for the first time, too, so it’s that mix of old and new and a chance for people to see their heritage and history.”
Other installations by Yona Lee and Hariata Ropata-Tangahoe are new acquisitions which have never before been on display at Te Papa.
Te Awa hopes visitors to Toi Art will take their time to enjoy the works and just let their imagination run wild.
“There should be something for everybody, hopefully. It’s just a really exciting suite of exhibitions to put together.”
Toi Art opens to the public from 10am on Saturday. There will be a series of floor talks throughout the day to celebrate the new season of exhibitions.
Over the weekend, Te Papa is also hosting the annual kaumātua performance festival Taikura Kapa Haka, with over 600 elders from around the country expected to take the stage.
“Come and see the Nannies and the Koros perform. It should be a great day,” Te Awa says.
Isaac Te Awa (Kāti Mamoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Ngāpuhi) is Te Papa's Curator Mātauranga Māori.
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Mihi Aroha 1 - a 2021 painting by Hāriata Rōpata-Tangahoe that was purchased by Te Papa.
All Rights Reserved
