Project lead for Mōwai: The Weight of Water exhibition Dayna Raroa speaks at the opening of the event at the former Marina Restaurant. Photo / Rebecca Melville
Project lead for Mōwai: The Weight of Water exhibition Dayna Raroa speaks at the opening of the event at the former Marina Restaurant. Photo / Rebecca Melville
Mōwai: The Weight of Water community exhibition now has a digital platform which includes artist profiles and photos from the show and links stories to the research it is based upon.
There is also a Tairāwhiti Creative Directory in development - connecting local artists, makers, creatives and storytellers withfuture opportunities and commissions.
The exhibition, which ran from September 27 to October 5, was created to bring the findings of the Te Tairāwhiti Qualitative Report Kua Huri te Tai, Kua Pari te Tai Aroha to life through creativity and community storytelling.
“It aimed to turn research into a living, emotional experience that our people could feel and relate to,” Mōwai project lead Dayna Raroa said.
Renee Raroa pours drinks as part of a ceremony where each part of the drink represented something to do with Cyclone Gabrielle.
“In my view it more than satisfied that brief,” Raroa said. It became a space where research and lived experience met in a very human way. The exhibition turned the Marina (former Marina Restaurant) into a wānanga-like environment full of light, emotion and wairua.
“People walked in curious and left moved. Many shared that it felt like a healing space - where grief, strength, and hope could sit together.
“The creative works captured our collective story ... from the chaos of the floods to the beauty of reconnection that followed.”
The response from Te Tairāwhiti was overwhelming, Raroa said.
Hundreds attended across the week and visitors described it as “healing,” “grounding” and “a space that felt like us”.
Mōwai: The Weight of Water exhibition brought all ages together to reflect on the impact of extreme weather events in Tairāwhiti. Photo / Rebecca Melville
One person said during its opening that “out of disasters come miracles”.
“Those comments captured the essence of what Mōwai set out to do - to hold space for reflection while celebrating the creativity and resilience that already exist here,” Raroa said.
Another stand-out element was the intergenerational engagement - rangatahi creating alongside kaumātua, creatives helping other creatives install work and celebrating together, and local whānau seeing their stories honoured in a public space.
It showed that art could unite communities in powerful ways, Raroa said.
“Mōwai wasn’t just an exhibition - it was a feeling. It showed the strength, creativity and aroha that already lives here. Every piece carried a part of our community’s story.”
Mōwai will explore touring possibilities and new collaborations across Aotearoa.
The community exhibition was supported by Health Research Council and Te Weu Charitable Trust.
Go to www.mowai.co.nz to learn more.
Gisborne's former Marina Restaurant provided the venue for Mōwai: The Weight of Water exhibition held at the end of September.
Mōwai: The Weight of Water exhibition now has a digital platform. Photo / Rebecca Melville
