Kura Gallery will have Tiki represented in a variety of ways from a collective of artists whose practices are informed by Tikanga and Mātauranga Māori. Tiki is instantly recognisable to us in Aotearoa, but what is he really, what is his history and what does he mean to our toi maori practitioners?
So often the image of Tiki is used and referred to as “kiwiana” yet to our indigenous people he is much much more than iconography.
He is a common ancestor, an Atua, Maui in his infant form, we know his mother we know his whakapapa his connections to us today, his appearance throughout the Pacific means he is a common thread amongst Pacific peoples, a kaitiaki.
For our Contemporary Maori Artists he is far more than an image to be plastered where ever we see fit, compared to cartoon characters, an icon that belongs to any one who feels drawn to using it without the knowledge or reverence of what is being represented.
The Kura Gallery will stay open late on Thursday, 12 October for Late Night Art.
Part of ArtWeek in the City Centre 2023.
Flat fee of $7 per day on weekends at Fanshawe Street carpark. Find out more.
Kids ride free on public transport on weekends and public holidays. Find out more.