This Māori girl went to New York for the first time...

It was a three part trip - my partner, taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh had a performance at The Lincoln Center to attend, I did a guest spot tattooing at NY Adorned, and I took over a capsule collection of art work to be exhibited at Ora Ny Gallery by the Toi Wāhine Collective. Phew it was an amazing whirlwind two trip and New York was so good to us, and I am so grateful to all of the inspiring conscious people we met over there!

Our Toi Wāhine Collective two day pop up shop at Ora Ny Gallery was off the hook!

I was very grateful to have esteemed contemporary Māori dancers Jack Grey, Louise Potiki Bryant, members of Altamira Dance Crew and their indigenous friends come and perform at our pop up shop on the final evening at the gallery.

Very grateful to New Zealand musicians Andrew White, Paddy Free of Pitch Black and Jerome Kavanagh for performing live in the gallery on both evenings at our pop up shop.

With my Navajo friend Precious at Ny Adorned after tattooing her.

Resin jewelry by Evelyn Ross that was part of the capsule collection I took to New York.

Hanging outside Ora Ny Gallery with New Zealand Photographer Nichola Clark and friend.

Moko completed for a Taranaki born client at Ny Adorned.

Dressed up and ready to roll out for one of my first nights in New York City!

With all of the amazing dancers that graced the exhibition space on the final evening of our pop up shop exhibition.

Kirituhi completed for an African-American woman at Ny Adorned.

The performance that my partner was invited to be a part of at The Lincoln Center was pretty awe inspiring!

I buzzed out on how many psychic shops were in NYC - they seemed to be as common as dairies are in New Zealand!

Taaniko work by Kui Topia that was part of the Toi Wāhine Collective pop up shop.

With New York based Māori gallerist John Royal and his daughter.

Kirituhi for my new friend Grace from Trinidad and Tobago at Ny Adorned.

Tattooing an American born Māori man at NY Adorned.

With new friends Keke and Giarna Te Kanawa, gallerist of Ora Ny Gallery.

Kirituhi at Ny Adorned for a Columbian woman.

Being a poser in the back of a New York yellow cab.

At Ora Ny Gallery.

With a Hawaiian Māoli woman that I met at the gallery, it was so great meeting so many Polynesians from all over in New York.

Outside Ny Adorned.

At the after party of The Lincoln Center performance, 'Calling All Dawns'.

With my new friends Tiff and Sammay at Ora Ny Gallery.

So awesome getting to meet indigenous First Nations performer, Supaman at The Shrine in Harlem.

A projected image of contemporary Māori jeweler, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna on the wall of Ora Ny Gallery as part of a moving portraits film installation by Pikihuia Haenga that was part of our pop up shop exhibition. 

My New York family on the trip.

Partay time at the gallery once all the work was finished.

Posey posers.

With new friends Amy and Cristina at the gallery.

A selection of the capsule collection by Toi Wāhine Collective at Ora Ny Gallery.

With my new friend Sammay, Filipino dancer.

Moko completed for an American born Māori man at Ny Adorned.

New York, New York! We're coming for you!

I am beyond excited about taking a selection of art works by the Toi Wāhine Collective to ORA NY GALLERY in NEW YORK CITY very soon! Included in the capsule collection will be original paperworks, open and limited edition art prints, contemporary taonga, jewelry and a film installation.

Special guest friends of the Toi Wāhine Collective will also be performing in the gallery space on both evenings. If you have friends and whānau in New York, please share this panui with them, and help us share some of our art with the world.

Thank you!

Toi Wāhine Collective to host 'Shop Frontin Porirua' in association with Pātaka Art + Museum

Come on down to Hartham Place in Porirua on Thursday 31st March at 6PM to check out and support this awesome initiative.

Phase two of Toi Wāhine: 6th Jan - 25th Feb 2016

What initially started as a one-off, three week exhibition of seven Māori women artists has grown and multiplied into something far greater and more awesome! The Toi Wāhine Collective has been very fortunate to be able to continue to occupy our HQ space at 10 Hartham Place, Porirua.

We opened our second exhibition on 6th January with an intimate gathering, and this time around we had several new guest artists join the fold. Included in the second round of Toi Wāhine, alongside our initial seven founding members were artists:

Robyn Kahukiwa
Alison Waru
Jess Potiki
Kaea Graham
Awhina Tamarapa
Pip Hartley
Stevei Houkamau
Kui Topia
Hayley Galo
Maxine Montgomery

The Toi Wāhine Collective is very grateful to have the support of these outstanding Māori Women Artists and to include the work of these women into our ever-evolving and expanding art project.

Tomorrow (26th Feb) will see phase three of Toi Wāhine born, with new works being hung, and more new artists contributing to our kaupapa.

18 year old artist Kaea Graham hanging works for phase two of Toi Wāhine.

My new fashion project launched during phase two of Toi Wāhine.

Founding member Sian Montgomery-Neutze and some of our tamariki practicing their kirituhi skills at the space.

A sold work by Robyn Kahukiwa, whom we are over the moon to have involved in our project.

Work by Robyn Kahukiwa for the childrens book 'The Blue Book and Other Stories' written by Rangimarie Sophie Jolley and illustrated by Robyn. You can order one of these books at Toi Wāhine HQ.

Work by Jess Potiki included in phase two.

Detail of painting by Sian Montgomery-Neutze.

Me and guest moko artist Pip Hartley of Tuwharetoa outside the space.

Tamariki of Toi Wāhine, Niwareka and Maahaki.

Detail of painting by Alison Waru from the East Coast.

My new fashion project launched at the space during phase two.

My new fashion project launched at the space during phase two.

Kaea Graham getting her painting ready to hang for phase two.

Me with a lovely moko client during phase two.

New notebooks I launched during phase two.

My new fashion project launched during phase two.

Me with Ngāti Toa whānau that came to Toi Wāhine HQ for tā moko during phase two.

A new style i've started experimenting with during phase two.

New painting by founding member Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek.

We were thrilled to host guest moko artist Pip Hartley at the space for a few days visiting from Karanga Ink in Auckland.

Guest moko artist Pip Hartley working on a painting at the space.

The ever evolving front of HQ during phase two.

Freehand draw up before the tattooing process begins on one of my clients during phase two.

Moko artist Sian Montgomery-Neutze tattooing clay artist Stevei Houkamau.

New sets of small art prints I launched during phase two.

New work by Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek that always makes people laugh when they come in.

Moko artist Sian Montgomery-Neutze putting in work at the space.

Work by Robyn Kahukiwa at Toi Wāhine HQ.

Work I completed at TWHQ for a New Zealand woman currently working as a lawyer in Cayman Islands.

Our signage is always changing like we are.

Original painting by Robyn Kahukiwa at Toi Wāhine HQ.

Our youngest artist Kaea Graham putting in work at our most recent art making waananga.

Our most recent art making waananga in the space.

Our most recent art making waananga at the space.

Our most recent art making waananga at the space.

My shoes adorned by Kaea Graham at our most recent art making waananga.

Kaea Graham putting in work at our most recent art making waananga.

'Ka puu te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi' youth art exhibition hosted by the Toi Waahine Collective

Kia ora!

We the ladies of Toi Waahine Collective are pleased to announce our next kaupapa - a youth art exhibition open to all children in New Zealand aged 5-18 years old. This is a great opportunity for budding young artists to have the experience of being part of a real art exhibition at a real exhibition space that the public are able to visit. 

Email taryn.teuira@gmail.com for an entry form or collect a hardcopy from Toi Waahine HQ at 10 Hartham Place, Porirua. All completed artworks should be delivered to 10 Hartham Place, Porirua by Friday 11th March, ready to hang.

The first round of community art workshops at Toi Wāhine HQ, 10 Hartham Place, Porirua

Storytelling workshop with writer Sophie Jolley who has recently published a children's book in collaboration with artist Robyn Kahukiwa.

Mural painting workshop ran by Xoe Hall and Sian Montgomery-Neutze.

Reflecting on the opening of Toi Wāhine 2015 at 10 Hartham Pl, Porirua

On 2nd December myself and six other female Māori artists affiliated to the Porirua area (Xoe Hall, Pikihuia Carkeek-Haenga, Sophie Jolley, Miriama Grace-Smith, Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna) had our exhibition opening for Toi Wāhine 2015 at 10 Hartham Place in Porirua.

Thanks to Urban Dream Brokerage who helped us to obtain the awesome space to have our show in. Thank you to everyone that came along to the opening event and made it such a special night!

Here are some photos from Toi Wāhine 2015 which ran for three weeks from 2nd - 22nd December 2015.

More upcoming events at Toi Wāhine HQ, 10 Hartham Place, Porirua

Come along and get involved in the action coming up this Thursday and Friday at Toi Wāhine HQ! All welcome!

Upcoming community workshops at Toi Wāhine 2015 HQ, 10 Hartham Place, Porirua

The exhibition Toi Wāhine 2015 that I am a part of alongside Xoe Hall, Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Miriama Grace-Smith, Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek, Keri-mei Zagrobelna and Rangimarie Sophie Jolley, is on now until 22nd December 2015. So far it has been an amazing journey and I have been relishing every minute of the synergy and collaborative energy that comes from working in a group of like minded people.

We have several community events and workshops coming up soon. Here are two of them - mural painting workshop on Saturday 12th December and customised footwear workshop on Sunday 20th December.

I hope you can make it along to have some fun and share some time with our group of artists!

Mauriora,
Taryn

Toi Wāhine 2015: a pop up exhibition of 7 female artists coming soon to Porirua!

Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Rangimarie Sophie Jolley, Taryn Beri, Miriama Grace-Smith, Xoe Hall, and Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek at our first wānanga together in preparation for the exhibition. Our jewellery artist Keri-Mei Zagrobelna was in Europe when we took this photo but she will be back in December in time for our exhibition opening!

Due to open on 2nd December in Hartham Place, Porirua, this exhibition is set to be a diverse, unpredictable and exciting mix of seven young Māori female artists. Included in Toi Wāhine 2015 are female painters, moko artists, a writer, a jewellery designer and a film maker, all with some kind of affiliation to and affection for Porirua City.

The idea was born from seeing a call for proposals that was put out by Letting Space's service Urban Dream Brokerage, a radical and conscious organisation that makes use of empty and vacant shop spaces, transforming them for a short time into living, breathing, useful community based spaces.

Our exhibition will open on Wednesday 2nd December and run through till Tuesday 22nd December (please mark it in your calendars). Located under the canopies in Porirua by where childrens clothing store 'TnT' used to be! Details of the official opening event are still to come, so if you are interested then please stay posted (join my mailing list).

An exciting programme of events is currently being developed by our group, with each individual artist running a workshop for the public to come along and participate in, learn, share and contribute. Live tā moko will also be happening in the exhibition space throughout the three week period, including moko kauae.

Contributing artists in Toi Wāhine 2015 are:

Xoe Hall (muralist, glitterist and painter)
Sian Montgomery-Neutze (multimedia artist, painter and moko artist)
Miriama Grace-Smith (multimedia artist and fashion designer)
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (jewellery artist)
Rangimarie Sophie Jolley (writer)
Taryn Beri (multimedia artist, painter and moko artist)
Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek (experimental film maker)

So far our group has had two wānanga, sharing ideas and making art together, with more wānanga scheduled to come in the lead up to the opening of the exhibition.

Sian Montgomery-Neutze at our first wānanga toi.

Miriama Grace-Smith at our first wānanga toi.

Rangimarie Sophie Jolley at our first wānanga toi.

Xoe Hall at our first wānanga toi.

We will have interactive installations, paintings and prints for sale, community workshops, live tā moko happening onsite and lots of other fun and awesome things happening over the three weeks - more details to come.

I hope you can make it along to check it out, participate and support the kaupapa!

Mauriora,
Taryn Beri