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