Kohinga Ringatoi Collective artists Cece Gray (left), Hiria Thomas and Erana Kaa.
A Hokianga Collective is using art to honour their tūpuna and explore the meaning of Te Pō in a new exhibition opening this weekend.
Whakatinanahia (Hakatinanahia) i Te Pō is a multi-disciplinary body of work exploring the relationship between wāhine Māori and Te Pō.
The exhibition invites visitors to step into Te Pō through the eyes of the contributing artists Hiria Thomas, Cece Gray and Erana Kaa (Kohinga Ringatoi Collective).
It opens this Saturday at the Village Arts Gallery in Kohukohu, and features clay, photography and textile works, as well as works created by Akomanga Kea from Te Kura Takiwa o Opononi.
Kaa said the exhibition is deeply personal to them and the Kohinga Ringatoi Collective name is in honour of their great-grandmother, Kohingarua Ruma Harding, who died as a young mother during the tuberculosis epidemic.
The family have never found a photo of her or located her burial site, and the exhibition uses art to represent her presence through her ancestors and descendants.
“These works depict her tūpuna, her descendants, and thus her continuing presence,” Kaa said.
The exhibition takes its name from Te Pō, the time of darkness in Māori cosmology when Ranginui and Papatūānuku lay together and their children lived between them before the world of light, Te Ao Mārama, began. In this context, Te Pō is described not simply as darkness, but as the space where all things form.
For the artists, Te Pō represents a space of protection, reflection, connection and transformation, particularly for wāhine Māori. Through the works, they explore the balance between light and darkness, intensity and tenderness, and the way these forces exist together rather than in opposition.
“Whakatinanahia i Te Pō means the embodiment of darkness.”
Working together as a whānau was a natural process for the collective, who already gather for wānanga, marae events and celebrations. Creating the exhibition became an extension of the way they already share knowledge of art, whakapapa and waiata.
She added that Māori knowledge is non-binary and embraces fluidity – this is reflected in its mata ngaro (unseen entities) – as they embody both light and darkness, intensity and tenderness.
“This fluidity is reflected in the navigation of void and form – an interplay clearly expressed in the language of whakairo (carving), raranga and whatu (weaving), kōwhaiwhai and tuitui (sewing). These works embody Te Pō both conceptually and materially, holding both dimensions at once.”
She said working together was a natural process for the collective, who already gather for wānanga, marae events and celebrations.
Gray has developed her uku (clay) practice since Covid and has attended local wānanga. Hiria recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in contemporary art, majoring in photography.
Thomas’ background is in painting; however, she transitioned to textiles during her doctoral research in 2019.
For Thomas, the process was very wholesome.
“I have a stronger sense of what it’s like to work closely with my whānau on a creative project. This is my first independent exhibition outside of my tertiary education. It has been a big step in learning about Te Pō, which has enabled me to feel more connected to my Māori identity.”
Gray added that creating a collaborative presentation for gallery visitors, whānau and Hokianga tamariki allowed them to share their understanding of te ao Māori.
“It would be meaningful to live in an Aotearoa where indigenous concepts that foster positive mindsets and resilience are genuinely valued and upheld.”
Through the exhibition, the artists hope visitors come to see Te Pō not as something to fear, but as a space where people develop humility, resilience, character and capability.
The exhibition opens on Saturday and runs until April 26.