KŌRERO: CONTEMPORARY MĀORI ART

Let’s Talk Art, Viaduct Events Centre
Friday 19 April, 1:30PM – 2:45PM

Embark on an inspiring journey of introspection with us. Listen to three dynamic young Aotearoa New Zealand artists as they look to Te Ao Māori to explore the pressing issues and themes for them right now. Learn what drives and ignites their passion for art making and the different ways they realise their practice from public art to community based performance. Join Peata Larkin, Stevei Houkamau and Kereama Taepa, in discussion with Sonya Korohina, Director of Tauranga Art Gallery, for an exhilarating and thought-provoking discussion that promises to enlighten and energise.

This talk is presented as part of Let’s Talk Art, the talks programme at the 2024 Aotearoa Art Fair, held from 18 – 21 April at the Viaduct Events Centre. To attend this talk, purchase a ticket to the Fair.

SPEAKERS

SONYA KOROHINA

Sonya Korohina (Ngāti Porou, Whānau a Hunāra) has over 25 years of experience in the Creative Industries. Since 2023, she has served as the Director of Tauranga Art Gallery. Previously, she directed Supercut Projects, a consultancy for the sector, local government, and businesses. Supercut Projects developed the CITY ART WALK App, a self-guided tour of public art sites, and curated placemaking projects like ‘Midnight Sun’ with artist Sara Hughes and ‘Echoes: Tauranga Moana’ with creative studio Storybox. They also collaborated with Tauranga City Council on a public art framework. With a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts Administration from Auckland University School of Business, Sonya has worked at leading arts institutions including Auckland Art Gallery, Artspace Aotearoa, Elam School of Fine Arts, Tauranga Arts Festival, and Toi Ohomai.

PEATA LARKIN

Peata Larkin is of Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and Ngāti Tūhourangi descent. A graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, she completed her Master’s degree at RMIT University, Melbourne in 2007. In 2018 Larkin was awarded the prestigious Kaipara Wallace Arts Trust Award, which provides a three-month residency at the Altes Spital in Solothurn, Switzerland. Her work is part of important collections both internationally and throughout New Zealand. Larkin’s paintings operate at the junction of diverse visual and conceptual traditions. Cultural narratives from her whakapapa are encoded in patterns that allude to digital information, binary opposites, and the gridlines of weaving. Peata is showing at the 2024 Aotearoa Art Fair with Two Rooms (Auckland).

KEREAMA TAEPA

Kereama Taepa (Te Arawa, Te Āti Awa) is a contemporary Māori creative known for merging customary Māori artforms with modern technology. His work reflects the belief that innovation is tradition. Taepa’s art draws from Māori visual language like whakairo and kōwhaiwhai, often integrating 80s and 90s pop culture icons like Pac-Man. Based in Pāpāmoa, Bay of Plenty, Taepa explores te Ao Matihiko (the digital world) and its impact on Māori culture. He uses technologies like projection, 3D printing, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality to tell stories of the past and present, considering how Māori can use digital tools for future generations. Kereama is represented by Jhana Millers Gallery.

STEVEI HOUKĀMAU

Stevei Houkāmau is a uku artist based in the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington Region. Working primarily with clay since 2011, Stevei’s focus on uku stems from its ability to evoke ancestral and spiritual connections to the whenua. Her work explores the relationship between tāngata (people), tipuna (ancestors, whenua (land) reflecting the vital relationship tangata whenua hold with the environment.
Stevei has exhibited and has works in collections both nationally and abroad. She has proudly represented Aotearoa at FESTPAC in Guahan and Various Indigenous Art Gatherings. Notably, stevei was awarded the Kingii Tuheitia Portraiture Award for 2023 and most recent held a solo exhibition at Objectspace, Auckland. Stevei is showing at the 2024 Aotearoa Art Fair with Masterworks Gallery.