About

Tyson Campbell curated the show around the theme of "The gift and its reprisal," exploring the 'counter-gifts,' and the sense of 'debt' that arises when a gift is given and received. This theme reminded me of a conversation I had with my dad about the roles and responsibilities he carries within our iwi, and the weight these roles place on him.

"He taonga te ware" which means "The gift of forgetting"—refers to both the gift of not knowing, or being 'naive,' for those who are not tangata whenua, and the burden placed on those who bear the labor of remembering. Reflecting on this, I thought about the whenua beneath us, and the people of the land—iwi, politics, and history. I was reminded of the acts of erasure that have placed the weight of remembering on my parents’ generation, a responsibility that also spills over to us.

The works themselves consist of six pou, made from collections of whenua, uku, and onepu from the three bodies of water surrounding Waiuku: the Tasman Sea, Manukau Harbour, and the Waikato River. These pou act as both literal maps of the land and reminders of those who hold the knowledge, and the 'roles of remembering,' connected to these waterways.

When you enter the gallery, the work welcomes you, much like being received onto a marae (which can sometimes feel intimidating). The hau kāinga—the home body—stands on the left side of the room, while you enter from the opposite side. The pou figures seem to rise from the earth, so you find yourself looking up at them, looking up to the whenua. As you walk between them, they surround you. Though they invite touch, it is not permitted.