Te Ohonga | The Awakening temporary exhibition

Wellington Museum |Te Waka Huia O Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho holds taonga Māori collected by George Pain, a late-nineteenth-century businessman based in Martinborough.

Unfortunately, the history of these taonga was not documented and they have been sitting silently in the collection store.

So we invited Māori artists from Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui (the greater Wellington region) to bring their knowledge to the collection and give life and warmth to these taonga.

The artists have not only enhanced our understanding of the Pain collection, they have also created new works that awhi (support, embrace) selected taonga and kōrero (speak) to the original makers.

This exhibition was developed by Wellington Museum in partnership with Toi Māori Aotearoa – Māori Arts New Zealand.
Ko ngā taonga tuku iho a Te Waka Huia, i whakaemihia e George Pain i te rau tau ki muri. He reo ngū, he kōrero kua ngaro ki rāhaki, takoto noa.

I pōhiritia ngā ringa rehe toi o Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui ki te whakaoho i te mauri o ngā taonga nei.

Nā te wānanga, me te koi o aua ringa rehe, ka hangaia ngā taonga hou hei hoa mo ngā taonga o nehe kia puawai ano.

He mea tauawhi te whakaaturanga e Te Waka Huia me Toi Māori Aotearoa.

Saturday 9 December – Monday 1 April | Open daily 10am – 5pm | Wellington Museum

Contributing artists:

Sonia Snowden | Darcy Nicholas | Elaine Bevan and Manu Carkeek | Pip Devonshire | Kohai Grace | Wiremu Grace | Chevron Hassett | Rangi Kipa | Tracey Morgan | Vianney Parata, Kauia Moriarty and Moana Solomon | Tracey Patete | Kura Puke with Stuart Foster, Mike Bridgman, Amber-Jayne Bain and Kurt Komene | Hermann Salzmann | Nui Stretch | Ngatai Taepa | Hinepūororangi Tahupārae | Brett Rangitaawa and Whitireia Reo Wānanga