Ngā mihi to the Mataaho Collective: the wave of applause rippled from Italy to Aotearoa when it was announced that the four wāhine Māori artists had been awarded the 60th Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Best Participant in the International Exhibition for their immersive work, Takapau.

Receiving one of the top accolades at the world’s pre-eminent arts event, Mataaho’s practitioners are Erena Arapere-Baker (Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangātira), Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pūkeko), Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) and Terri Te Tau (Rangitāne ki Wairarapa).

The theme of this year’s Biennale is Stranieri Ovunque / Foreigners Everywhere. Of Takapau, the international jury noted that the luminous woven structure referenced “matrilinear traditions of textiles with its womb-like cradle; the installation is both a cosmology and a shelter”. They also praised its engineering, “only made possible by the collective strength and creativity of the group”.

With 331 invited artists and 88 countries represented, the Biennale works stay on public display until November.