A stellar line-up of indigenous female artists will showcase the Aotearoa Pacific New Year, Matariki, at an Auckland art exhibition until August 22, 2024.
Esoteric Revelation: Wāhine Matariki is curated by artist Tracey Tawhiao (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea) at her new kaupapa Māori gallery, Tawhiao Art Salon.
Featuring a new generation of talented artists, the creative collective of 11 mana wāhine include:
Jeanine Clarkin (Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Raukawa) – fashion designer and activist.
Charlotte Graham (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Tamaoho, Scotland) – painter, printmaker and multimedia artist.
Paula Schaafhausen (Samoa, Germany, Scotland) – installation artist.
Chantel Matthews (Ngāti Hounuku, Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Ikaunahi, Tainui) – conceptual artist, writer, and curator.
Vaimaila Urale (Samoa) – digital media artist, designer and indigenous arts advocate.
Claudine Muru (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Te Arawa, Tapuika, Ngāi Te Rangi) – multidisciplinary artist.
Emily Lyall (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) – visual arts student.
Natasha Keating (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) – mixed media artist.
Shona Tawhiao (Ngāi Te Rangi, Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) – fibre artist (weaver) and designer.
Tracey Tawhiao (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea) – multi-skilled contemporary artist, curator, writer.
Daniela Cicero (Italian) – wearable arts artist and fashion designer.
Tracey Tawhiao says the theme of this year’s Matariki exhibition – Esoteric Revelation – comes from “inside out”.
“Art is an expression that comes from inside and manifests into a creative expression or art work to be shared. The celestial event, Matariki, is not merely an astronomical occurrence but a phenomenon infused with creation and creative energy.
“There are ebbs and flows in the stars, determining where and when they reveal themselves. Right now, we can all connect to the star cluster’s energy at its most potent.
“Our awareness of these stars serves as a powerful flow from our sky Ranginui to our earth Papatūānuku. Everything these artists have produced for this exhibition is connected to the sacred feminine of Matariki.”
Esoteric Revelation: Wāhine Matariki is now showing at Tawhiao Art Salon, 559 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, from Wednesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 6pm, until Thursday August 22, 2024.