Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making

From jewellery that can only be worn in a virtual world to discarded fast-food wrappers which have been painstakingly embroidered, handwoven harakeke battle suits for the contemporary Māori woman, and the traditions of mōteatea, kōwhaiwhai and whakapapa represented through digital animation.

Featuring work by more than 20 makers, Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making explores the nature of craft in Aotearoa and looks to the future as we navigate the 21st century. The practices, objects and makers in the exhibition engage with traditions that span hundreds of years, multiple cultures and a vast variety of techniques, skills and materials.

Ā Mua, which is a Māori term used to describe ‘a time to come’, also reflects the cyclic nature of Indigenous time where the past, present and future intersect, interchange and co-exist. Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making traces the relationships of each featured maker’s place within, across and alongside traditions of craft and the handmade. The future is a space where boundaries and definitions become fluid and ideas of place are expanded beyond geography and cultures.

Included in Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making are jewellery works, created in a virtual space that can be worn in augmented reality or 3D printed. There is the translation of the knowledge and practice of furniture design from Korea into contemporary domestic woodturning in Aotearoa, encouraging consumers to embrace these locally made bespoke objects over the mass-produced import. There are Fijian masi and tools that reflect contemporary experiences and approaches of reviving Fijian women’s tattoo practice, and so much more.

With makers based throughout Aotearoa, from Dunedin in the south to the far north, and from numerous cultural perspectives, this exhibition embodies the diversity that has become a hallmark of globalism and increased connectivity and exchange. What we make and how we use it are topics that have significant impacts now and for future generations.

This exhibition features work by Brendon Monson, Eugene Kara, Fuli Fati, Kupa Kupa and Jack Kirifi, Henriata Nicholas, Jay Hutchison, Jo Torr, Joana Monolagi, Kaaterina Kerekere, Kaetaeta Watson and Louisa Humphrey, Kathryn Tsui, Kereama Taepa, Monmouth Glass, Rowan Panther, Shona Tawhiao, Talafungani Finau, Tracy Byatt, Tu’ifonulava Kaivelata, Victoria McIntosh, Wai Ching Chan, Walk In The Park and WISE Collective.

Image: Rowan Panther, Lei #1, Lei #2, Lei #3, 2017. Courtesy of the artist