
Exhibition Date:
7th – 20th December 2018
Tūārangi
“Tūārangi” explores the impact of time on our experiences as Māori and particularly on our experiences as Māori women.
The pieces on display will draw on different parts of this kaupapa, and reflect the unique & various individualities of each collective member – Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Xoë Hall, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, Rangimarie Jolley, Pikihuia Haenga & Miriama Grace-Smith.
For some of us, time is a deep past, a focus in the future or even an abstraction that cannot be reached by human fingertips.
Hine Pae Kura is a collective of Māori female artists based in Pōneke & Porirua, Aotearoa. Although most of us have known each other for many years, we began working together as a collective in 2015 under the name ‘Toi Wāhine’. From 2015-16 we were based in Porirua, where we occupied and shared an exhibition space with our community and hosted numerous art events.
In 2017, we refocused our collective efforts, and reformed as ‘Hine Pae Kura’. From this focus, came the whakaaro that underpins who and what Hine Pae Kura is. For us, she is the in-between space, the line between life and death, old and new and conscious and subconscious.
Through our exploration of contemporary and traditional indigenous art forms, we try to embody that essence of Hine Pae Kura to ensure that our works are reflective of this time. We have used this kaupapa to occupy our platforms as Māori women, who collectively and individually create Māori art, stories and images.
Although we have shared this space with many other Māori female artists, our founding members are Miriama Grace-Smith, Xoë Hall, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Pikihuia Haenga & Rangimarie Sophie Jolley. Over the past three years, we have exhibited collectively / contributed to collective exhibitions in Porirua, Wellington, Tāneatua, Auckland, Melbourne & New York.
Miriama Grace-Smith
(Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toarangatira me Ngāti Porou)
Miriama’s favourite mediums are painting, printmaking, illustration & fashion design. Miriama completed a Certificate in Visual Arts at Whitireia Polytechnic & went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massey University. Much of her work depicts traditional village life, explores natural phenomena & draws from pūrākau Māori. Miriama is a member of Māori women’s art collective Hine Pae Kura, she has her own street wear label Foresight Clothing.
Pikihuia Haenga
(Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Porou)
Multimedia Video artist, Director of Photography and Film-maker.
Pikihuia has produced several works using video and audio as a medium to document & to bring issues affecting the environment & local communities to light, the focus will often tease out Māori representation, more specifically wāhine Māori. Other major influencing drivers that draw Piki in to video installations are to explore relationships between the kaupapa that brings the person, object or subject, to interact with the filmmaker, under the circumstances & in the environment.
For Pikihuia three good starting points will often be; Positive influences, colour & music. Piki sees the projection of sound & of images on to surfaces & objects as an exciting, impactful way to occupy & add a unique augmented experience to a space.
Rangimarie Sophie Jolley
Rangimarie is a writer, poet & storyteller based in Porirua, Wellington. She is a founding member of the Hine Pae Kura & Toi Wāhine collectives, & is currently employed as a content developer. In 2015 she published a collection of short stories for children alongside Robyn Kahukiwa, and has since been involved in numerous story telling workshops & poetry readings. She has also contributed poetry to the Wellington Museum & various publications & magazines throughout Aotearoa. Her work focuses on exploring the unique perspectives of Māori women.
Sian Montgomery-Neutze
Sian is a Wellington-based freelance artist, moko practitioner & writer/translator of Ngai Tara/Muaūpoko decent. She acquired her Master’s Degree in Mātauranga Māori (Māori Studies) in 2010. She then went on to study Adult Education and Whakairo (Māori carving) in 2011-2012. She has worked and exhibited in various towns and cities throughout New Zealand, Australia, Rarotonga, USA and Tahiti. In 2015 she completed her Post-Graduate Diploma in Māori Visual Arts through Massey University, concluding the year with a solo exhibition in her iwi rohe.
“I enjoy making mistakes and becoming endlessly frustrated with myself before figuring the art out. Actually I hate it, but it seems to be a necessity.”
Sian Montgomery-Neutze
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna
(Te Ātiawa me Te Whānau-ā-Apanui)
Keri-Mei graduated from Whitireia with a BaPPa in visual arts in 2012 since her studies she has exhibited extensively in Aotearoa, Australia, Europe and America. Her chosen medium is adornment & jewellery based, & as well as her art practice she holds a history of public talks, lectures and teaching.
“I use jewellery as my language and speak through my hands. My eyes hear my thoughts and translate.”
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna
Xoë Hall
(Kāi Tahu)
Xoë Hall (Kāi Tahu) is a Wellington born and based painter, multi media artist, writer and illustrator.