Celebrating creativity: Matatau 2024 exhibition showcases graduating Māori visual artists

It’s that exciting time of year when graduating students from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s Toioho ki Āpiti Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts programme unveil their unique interpretations of Mana Tangata.

The concept of Mana Tangata serves as a foundation for students to engage with traditional Māori notions of identity and mana within a cultural framework, while also expanding their exploration into contemporary contexts. Matatau 2024 invites audiences to delve into the exploration of personal identity and the artists’ creative responses to the social, environmental, economic and political climate of today. This year’s artists utilise a diverse range of mediums, including performance, sculpture, painting and photography.

Emily Lyall, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau ā Apanui and Bridie Potts, Waikato, Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepuhunga, Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, engage their bodies to interact with their artworks, delving into concepts of whakapapa. Emily’s moving image installation captures the complexities of navigating Te Ao Māori in post-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand, while Bridies' poi paintings celebrate her maternal lineage and cultural heritage.

In a more subtle approach, Frances Dawson, Ngāti Ranginui, Pākehā, and Jordon Peterson, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Marukukere, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Lalovaea, Leulumoega, Luatuanu’u, reference the tinana as a vessel for transmitting ancestral knowledge, underscoring the significance of whakapapa and ira tangata. Their works, incorporating whakairo and kōwhaiwhai, honor oral traditions and the spiritual and physical embodiment of tūpuna, guiding their uri, or descendants.

Senior Lecturer Erena Arapere, Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, says she’s excited for her students to showcase their creations.

“Each year, our graduates bring their own unique perspectives on Mana Tangata to Te Manawa Art Gallery, highlighting the depth of creativity and identity within our Toioho ki Āpiti students.

“This exhibition is a celebration of their artistic journeys, using diverse mediums to explore what it means to embody Mana Tangata through art. We’re eager for audiences to experience these powerful stories and expressions that mark an important milestone in each artist's career.”

The Matatau 2024 exhibition opens at Te Manawa Gallery in Palmerston North on Friday, 8 November and will be on display until 2 March 2025. The artists will be hosting a presentation on their pieces at Te Manawa on Saturday, 9 November at 11am.