Wahine Māori: The Art of Resistance

Wahine Māori: The Art of Resistance, a group exhibition of contemporary Wahine Māori artists will open at Northart Gallery in March.

Exhibiting Artists:

Robyn Kahukiwa
Emily Karaka
Kura Te Waru
Dianne Prince
Linda Munn
Natalie Robertson
Ngahina Hohaia
Andrea Hopkins
Tāwera Tahuri
Suzanne Tamaki
Charlotte Graham
Tracey Tawhiao

This exhibition celebrates the significance of the artistic practice of these Wahine Māori and their contribution to contemporary art in New Zealand, as well as their importance to the expansion of the canon of Art History.

The exhibition is composed of a wide range of multi-disciplinary artists, who work in a diverse range of media including photography, sculpture, fashion, protest art, weaving, and paint. This group are united through the themes that their works address, and their common role in using art as a force for social activism. These artists derive power from artistic protest, and use their practices to highlight social issues, inequalities, and areas for improvement.

“Wahine Māori Activist Art, is contemporary Art at it’s most powerful and important. Her safest tool for protesting colonisations erasure of her identity, her sovereignty and her knowledge systems. Protest is a powerful tool in any democracy. Wahine Māori Activist Art is the heart of contemporary art and her tinorangatiratanga. Systemic racism, means Activist Art is best for Māori Women, who are the mothers, whose arrest and imprisonment would harm the whole family. Art has protected her from a colonial supremist agenda, while allowing her voice to vibrate above the ignorance of her erasure.” – Tracey Tawhiao

Wahine Māori: The Art of Resistance will begin with an opening day on Sunday 13th of March from 11am to 4pm, and run daily at Northart until Sunday 15th of May.

Image credit: Emily Karaka, DNA, 2022, 1828.8 x 1828.8 mm (detail)