Media Release: Giants of Aotearoa inform new exhibition season

This summer season, Pātaka Art+Museum will host four exhibitions steeped in the wisdom, strength and character of some of New Zealand’s most impressive knowledge-holders. Two shows featuring the distinctive visual language of renowned sculptor, carver and educator Fred Graham CNZM (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Tainui, 1928–2025) will open alongside a Ngāti Toa Rangatira call for the protection of our waterways in Mutumutu ki Mukukai: Freshwater to Saltwater and the artistry and richness of tīvaivai from the women’s collective Tipurepure Au Va’ine.

Tipurepure Au Va’ine is a Porirua-based collective whose members are known locally as ‘the mamas’. Both the collective and the Pātaka exhibition of the same name are rooted in a proud lineage of Cook Islands va’inetini, women’s groups, and au va’ine, women’s guilds. The women have gathered every Thursday since 2020 – coming together to sustain, celebrate and evolve the practice of tīvaivai.

“These mamas are unique,” says Pātaka Lead Curator Ioana Gordon-Smith, co-curater of Tipurepure Au Va’ine with Tehani Buchanan, “Their tongues are as sharp as their needles – even the spelling of tīvaivai is up for discussion – and they’re not scared to stand up for what tīvaivai means to them: the place where friendship and community can thrive for Cook Island women”.

Pātaka is also delighted to host two Fred Graham exhibitions in a tribute to the esteemed artist who, just last year, was one of eight Māori artists invited to represent New Zealand at the Venice Biennale.

Fred Graham: Toi Whakaata/Reflections includes works made between 1965 and 2013, with an emphasis on the artist’s small-scale freestanding sculptures and relief works. This touring show from Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery includes two recent additions for the Pātaka season. Whiti Te Ra (1966) comes to us fresh from Venice and features four figures performing the iconic haka composed by Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha. Te Wero (1991), depicts a large bird with wings outstretched, carved from totara and stone. The work is on loan from parliament where its display sets an ongoing challenge to politicians. Brett Graham, Fred Graham’s son, notes that his father often used birds, and their flight, as a metaphor for Māori aspirations.

Fred Graham: Katohia He Wai Moou, Katohia He Wai Mooku has been developed and toured by the Waikato Museum, with its sculptures on long-term loan to the museum from the Waikato River Authority. This exhibition provides a focused, in-depth look at Graham’s body of work about the Waikato River.