A beautiful world
Currently showing at Canterbury Museum at CoCA, Ngā Hau Ngākau (Breath of Mine) is a collaboration between painter Robin Slow, master carver Brian Flintoff, and musician Bob Bickerton, seamlessly weaving a rich tapestry of stunning paintings, intricately carved taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments), and music.
Alongside these physical works, a specially created video sets the artworks in a soundscape of waiata sung by performers Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu) and Holly Weir-Tikao (Kāi Tahu), accompanied on taonga puoro by Solomon Rahui (Tūhoe, Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha), Bob Bickerton, and the vocalists.
The artists joined forces to craft a distinctive space reminiscent of a whare whakairo, a carved meeting house.
Designed as a place of learning, this wharenui is dedicated to manu (birds), revered as messengers in Māori mythology linking the physical and spiritual realms and as Atua Tāngata Whenua, the original ancestors of the islands.
Brian Flintoff has crafted 36 carvings in this touring exhibition and has dedicated much of his life to reviving taonga puoro, or traditional Māori instruments.
All his carvings tell stories, he says. “It may be just a bird on a flute, but there is a whole story about that bird and its meaning. It gives people a taste and invites them to explore further. It is a wonderful thing to tell these stories. They are so important. They are the steering paddle of the waka that is Māoridom.”
One such carving serves as a pertinent symbol: Felix the Kākāpō, who sired many offspring and helped save his species from extinction.
Painter Robin Slow layers his artworks with references to Māori stories gathered over decades. Memories from working with Onetahua Marae in Golden Bay to create a new wharenui influenced his work on Ngā Hau Ngākau.
“We wondered: What would it be like if we created our own whare? We could carry our own whare from place to place to tell these stories.”
Canterbury Museum Director Anthony Wright is excited to present such a diverse exhibition.
“This immersive experience will delight and fascinate Waitaha Canterbury audiences as they enjoy these beautiful carvings, paintings, and songs and explore the many stories of Te Ao Māori,” he says.
Ngā Hau Ngākau at Canterbury Museum at CoCA runs until 28 April 2024.