Kōrero – Contemporary Māori Art
Join us for an inspiring conversation about Māori arts recognition on the global stage and the influential contributions Māori artists are making to the international art world today.
Don’t miss the chance to hear from some of the most respected voices in contemporary Māori art.
Tim Melville | Moderator
Lisa Reihana | Speaker
Nephi Tupaea | Speaker
Nikau Hindin | Speaker
Tim Melville (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue,Te Atiawa) opened his Auckland gallery in 2007. He makes exhibitions with both Western and Indigenous artists but feels a particular responsibility, as a Māori gallerist in the commercial art world, to translate some of the values imbued in Māori artists’ work for a predominantly Pākehā audience. He sees resonance in shared attitudes towards ‘whenua’ in Aotearoa and ‘country’ in Australia, and has become known for introducing artists from remote Aboriginal communities to New Zealand collectors and curators. Tim is a Trustee of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery at the Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei.
Lisa Reihana is a multi-disciplinary artist known for her work in film, costume, text, and photography. Since the 1990s, she has significantly impacted Māori and contemporary global art. Renowned as an artist, producer, and cultural interlocutor, Reihana explores identity, history, and the intersection of place and community through high-production portraiture. Her work has been exhibited globally in museums and biennales, with pieces in major private and public collections. In 2017, she represented New Zealand at the Venice Biennale with her video installation in Pursuit of Venus [infected]. Lisa is showing at the 2025 Fair with Gallery Sally-Dan Cuthbert.
Nephi Tupaea is a multi-media artist and long-time member of the Pacific Sisters collective and Iwi Toi Ngāti Kahungunu. Known for her creative dance performances, installations, body adornment, spoken word, fibre activation, and costume designs, Nephi’s art practice is shaped by tupuna intervention and tikanga, creating new dialogues through indigenous symbols. Her work has been exhibited in Aotearoa and internationally, including at the Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa, Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art, and the Biennale of Sydney. Nephi holds a Bachelor of Māori Art from Toimairangi, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Nikau Hindin is a contemporary Māori artist from Ngā Puhi and Te Rarawa. She is renowned for reviving the traditional Māori art form of aute (barkcloth). Hindin creates intricate, hand-painted designs on aute using natural pigments, incorporating celestial navigation motifs and traditional Māori patterns. Her work explores themes of whakapapa (genealogy), environmental consciousness, and cultural reclamation. Through the process of reclaiming toi aute she connects Māori communities with ancestral navigation, environmental knowledge, and traditional artistic practices, ensuring these stories are both preserved and enlivened for future generations. Nikau is showing at the 2025 Fair with N.Smith Gallery.
Let’s Talk Art presented by Aon, brings together 30 artists, curators, designers, and collectors for nine compelling talks over three days.
Entry to Let’s Talk Art is on a first come, first serve basis. There is no RSVP.
A valid ticket to the Aotearoa Art Fair 2025 is required for entry to this talk.