A special exhibition, to be held throughout the duration of the FACT Matariki Festival. Local Maori artists and youth have been invited to exhibit paintings, sculpture, and Maori weaving including whatu kakahu (cloakweaving) and te mahi raranga (flaxweaving).
Artwork by artists Tracey Witehira, Rhonda Halliday and Kerry Lambert will feature in the exhibition. As will artwork from Pukekohe Intermediate School, Te Wananga o Raukawa School (where Kerry Lambert is a teacher), and from Pukekohe Youth Centre.
Tracey's paintings on canvas draw on both her Maori heritage and knowledge and training in Aboriginal art to create paintings with vibrant colours and unusual forms.
Rhonda creates clay sculptures of great intricacy and beauty. Her work focuses on her cultural heritage as both a Maori and a Pakeha, and finding an artistic identity that integrates the two.
Kerry has studied under the tutorage of renowned contemporary Maori artists Sandy Adsett, Derek Lardelli and Steven Gibbs. Her work uses traditional techniques to express contemporary art pieces. Materials include NZ native woods, paua, harakeke, and feathers.
Taonga (treasured objects) from local Maori families include never before displayed Maori weaving by Bella Dixon, Mariama Turner, E. I. Rawiri, and Andre Te Wheoro. As well as ceramics by Kotiro Turner and carvings by Rangihinemutu Rawiri.