Tatouage Maori
I visited Tahiti for the first time in February 2016.
I will be in French Polynesia again this 12-19 September 2018, to participate in the cultural tatau festival happening on Mo'orea. I will be traveling with a group of approximately 30 different multi talented artists and cultural practitioners from Aotearoa and i'm really looking forward to it!
I'm also looking forward to getting tattooed myself at this festival!
For all Mo'orea bookings please complete the booking form: HERE.
I worked on my cousin Hepa's moko peha at Mahara Gallery for the exhibition opening weekend. On the wall behind us is my latest painting, 'Te Āhuru Mōwai'.
Last weekend I attended the opening of 'He Toi Reikorangi: Te Ātiawa artists celebrate Matariki' at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae, on the Kapiti Coast of the Wellington region (New Zealand). It was super exciting and hundrends of people showed up to celebrate and show their support for the exhibition, including some of the best Māori artists in the world. For the duration of the opening weekend, Mahara Gallery invited myself, Rangi Kipa and Mitchell Hughes to showcase our tā moko expertise.
The fact that this exhibition opening was in Waikanae was personally significant to me, because my grandmother spent a lot of her life growing up in Waikanae, and her grandfather Wi Parata was a well known leader of the area and one of the biggest landowners - in fact Waikanae was once known as 'Parata Town'.
Iwi exhibitions are one of my favorite types of exhibitions because they reinforce and strengthen the whakapapa/genealogical bonds between the artists and the people of the iwi they belong to. Iwi exhibitions are a positive and uplifting community kaupapa that bring people together, showcasing the artistic excellence and skills amongst that particular tribe - I think that in itself, is an inspiring and empowering outcome.
A section of the moko peha that I worked on at Mahara Gallery during the exhibition opening weekend.
My eight year old apprentice, Ria Te Uira, stretching skin at Mahara Gallery.
My niece Ria Te Uira is a great little apprentice.
One of the reasons that I love to bring tā moko into art galleries is that it exposes and opens up the art form and cultural practice, to an entirely different audience, an audience that may not ever have the chance to see tā moko happening in real life, in any other situation. The potential for engagement with the public is great in an art gallery setting, and I enjoy answering the many and varied questions that people come up with. Having tā moko artists working in an art gallery space is magnetic, cutting edge, and a rare opportunity for gallery viewers to witness the tā moko process.
Another reason that I enjoy bringing tā moko into art gallery (and museum) settings is because I believe that all of our Māori art forms are inter-related and connected. Our various different art forms are at their strongest when put together and combined, contrasted against each other, complimenting one another, feeding into, informing and in conversation with one another. A decorated wharenui is a prime example of this, as is kapa haka where you see many of our art forms in relationship together at once.
The idea of inter-related art forms is part of the reason why I love collaborating and working alongside other artists, that use different mediums to me. It is also why I am currently enjoying the use of taonga puoro by Jerome Kavanagh, to compliment my tā moko process.
Tohunga tā moko, Rangi Kipa was also tattooing at Mahara Gallery for the exhibition opening weekend, as was moko artist Mitchell Hughes.
An outstanding modern work by master artist, Rangi Kipa.
Inspiring tukutuku work in the exhibition by my whanaunga, expert weaver Kohai Grace.
Photographic portraits in the exhibition featuring Te Ātiawa women and their moko kauae, by Heloise Bergman.
Whakairo in the exhibition by my whanaunga, Rakairoa Hori.
Painting in the exhibition by one of my favorite contemporary Māori painters, Darcy Nicholas.
Outstanding hue by expert weaver, Veranoa Hetet.
I love this work by Tracey Morgan using seaweed and tāniko.
I have two prints on show in the exhibition, 'Manu Ariki' and 'Hine Ariki'. The kete shown in the foreground are by Snooks Forster.
My painting 'Te Āhuru Mōwai' currently at Mahara Gallery. This painting refers to a 'cosy haven' inside the womb of a woman, the home of a baby growing, the amniotic fluid and the dna / ancestral material that makes up the baby and who the baby is / will become.
The photos of art work shown in this article are just a snapshot of the full exhibition and there are many more awesome and innovative works on show until 12th July 2015, so go and see for yourself!
In May 2014 I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Paris with my baby and my mother, to attend the opening of an exhibition at Musee du quai Branly, called 'Tattooers, Tattooed' that featured one of my paintings.
My painting featured in the exhibition at Musee du quay Branly in Paris.
While I was in Paris for the exhibition opening, I also did some tattooing. Most of the people that got kirituhi by me were French - and all of them were very respectful, grateful and appreciative of Māori culture.
Freehand draw up for one of the kirituhi I made in Paris, before the tattooing process begins.
The finished kirituhi.
The view from our coffee spot one morning at Musee du quai Branly.
We were there for about two weeks, and it was awesome! It was my first time in Europe and I definitely want to go back there. We stayed in an apartment close to the Eiffel Tower and Musee du quai Branly for the first week, and then we moved to the Montemartre Arrondissement which is known for hosting many artists over the centuries, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Vincent Van Gogh. I really liked the diversity of the Montemartre area, and there was heaps to see and do there.
All set to leave our apartment on our very first morning in Paris!
Some of the things that I loved about Paris:
The museums. They seemed to have a museum for everything imaginable! Visiting Musee du Louvre was definitely a highlight.
One of the amazing ceilings at Musee du Louvre!
I loved the numerous depictions of the mother and child at Musee du Louvre.
The food. Of course Paris is known for its cuisine and wine, and it did not disappoint! Breakfast, lunch and dinner was always a treat, and I loved to have my morning coffee at a little cafe on the street, watching all the different people go by.
The attention to detail. I really noticed how seemingly everything is beautified or ornately detailed in some way. The most unexpected and mundane things had the effort and time put into making them aesthetically pleasing. Presentation in Paris is really big and it was lovely to experience such attention to detail.
Catching the metro out to the suburbs with some of my friends from Newtown, Wellington (yes they were in Paris at the same time as me!) to watch a Rod Taylor reggae gig was some unexpected fun!
A spontaneous freestyle jam in the streets of Montmartre with some new friends we had just met that had a guitalele (the first time I had ever seen such an instrument) was a really memorable moment.
Going on an impromptu adventure on foot and by metro, around Paris with my Italian client-turned-new-friend, Domenica, was really enjoyable.
Eating small portions of several delicious dishes whilst standing up at a tiny place in St Germaine with another new friend was pretty cool - and walking around the streets afterwards, looking in the windows of all the art galleries of that area was the best part.
The fashion. There are so many people from all around the world in Paris, and I loved checking out all of the different styles that people were rocking. Even the men get into fashion over there, and they were super stylish!
Hat that I customized over there. I find a hat useful when i'm tattooing as it keeps the hair out of my face.
An example of the sheer awesomeness peppered throughout the city. This was just down the road from our first apartment.
They even had a Museum of Eroticsm!
I met some great people and made some cool friends and I am super grateful and appreciative for the experience! Thank you Paris! Here is a French article about the Māori section of the exhibition in Paris.