18 Sep 2022

Mitchell Manuel combines tartan and koru

From Standing Room Only, 12:31 pm on 18 September 2022

2022 is the Year of the Tartan.  It's also the 50th anniversary of the delivery of Te Petihana Reo Māori to Parliament demanding recognition of te reo.

Artist Mitchell Manuel is about to open an exhibition of work in Scotland called Woven Identities, where he brings together tartan and koru, celebrating his own Scottish-Māori mixed ancestry.

More broadly, he's also exploring the whakapapa, the genealogical and cultural connections between Māori and Scottish people.

Lynn Freeman first asked Mitch why the Scots are so heavily represented in New Zealand?

Mitch Manuel's exhibition Woven Identies opens on Wednesday at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Scotland