Event Details
Pepi-Joy Gilgen, Gina Matchitt, Matthew McIntyre-Wilson, Aroha Millar, Neke Moa, Rowan Panther, Frances Stachl, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna
Karanga atu rā ki a koutou e ngā Atua-Kuia e, karanga atu rā, karanga atu rā.
Ahakoa He Iti is a kōrero — a conversation between a group of contemporary adornment artists, some well-established and others starting their journey. Their exchange reflects on the powerful narratives that can sit within a minute detail, or a physically small artwork.
Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu "Although small, it is a precious treasure.”
This whakataukī/proverb is a reminder not to overlook things that might seem inconsequential — actions, words, materials or objects.
The kōrero flows across many kaupapa — identity, connections to the atua, each other and the world around us. How do we connect to Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, or to Te Taiao — the environment that sustains and nurtures us? The conversation confronts grief and mamae — for those we’ve loved, and for cultural losses of social structures, language, once-common materials, and the practices and techniques for working with them — while also honouring and celebrating their regeneration.
The artists pose these questions to each other and, in turn, invite the audience into the conversation, whether as wearers of the pieces or as viewers. They open pathways for framing and understanding the complexities of this dialogue. Underpinning it all are the intimate relationships between these artworks and the body, transforming each wearer into both a carrier of the narrative and an active participant in it.
Curated by Tryphena Cracknell (Rongomaiwāhine)
