Next Suite of Exhibitions: Sarah Hudson, Wharerangi Turnbull, and He Tāwharau Mātaatua, a group exhibition

Nau mai, haere mai

We're pleased to introduce you to the new suite of exhibitions: The Stones Remember by Sarah Hudson, He Tāwharau Mataatua, a group exhibition, and Rarohenga by Wharerangi Turnbull.

• Opening 5:30pm Friday 4 July 2025
• Duration Saturday 5 July – Saturday 6 September

The Stones Remember

Sarah Hudson
(Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pūkeko)

You are warmly invited to The Stones Remember, a solo exhibition by contemporary Māori artist and researcher Sarah Hudson.
 
Exploring her connection to Moutohorā and developed in parallel with her time in Japan’s Setouchi Triennale, this body of work looks at the space between longing and belonging. Using gathered natural earth pigments, Sarah's work honours the resilience of whenua and the stories carried through stone.
 
Hudson’s multidisciplinary practice reflects a profound engagement with whakapapa, mātauranga Māori, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. These new works explore the space between longing and belonging — where stones become vessels for memory, resilience, and reconnection.

He Tāwharau Mataatua

Linda Munn, Glenda Hape, Erena Koopu, Zena Elliott, Kylie Tiuka, Tania Lewis-Rickard, Sonny Hape, Fiona Collis, Tame Iti, Graham Hoete, Takutaimoana Harawira, Te Marunui Hotene, Hiwirori Hatea, Ati Teepa.

He Tāwharau Mātaatua is a group exhibition honouring the creative practices of ringatoi who whakapapa to iwi in Mātaatua rohe.

This exhibition pays tribute to the amo from the Ngāti Pūkeko wharenui, Awanuiārangi — now standing at the entrance of our gallery, gifted to Te Kooti at the time of his pardon. These taonga carry with them the legacy of shelter and protection offered by Mātaatua iwi during times of immense political and cultural tension.

"Mātaatua, hangahia he tāwharau mō koutou, hei whakatikatika i te iwi, te whenua, me te whakapono."
("Build a shelter for the people of Mātaatua, so that the people, the land, and the faith may be restored.")
Through mahi toi, each artist responds to these kupu and taonga — collectively forming a visual tāwharau: a space of connection, protection, and remembrance that nourishes our people and whenua.

Rarohenga

Wharerangi Turnbull

Wharerangi Turnbull invites us into a glimpse of Rarohenga — the realm and origin of tā moko — through Mataora and Niwareka. This becomes a space of learning, reflection, and reconnection, where tā moko is honoured as a transformative and healing practice grounded in pūrākau.

Wharerangi works alongside Te Wehi Preston and the kaupapa-led Moko Ora collective, dedicated to strengthening the cultural foundations of tā moko and the sharing of mātauranga.

To enquire or book a tā moko session, please contact Wharerangi Turnbull directly:

Instagram: @wharerangi_turnbull

Facebook: Wharerangi Turnbull

Or email: arts@whakatane.govt.nz for general enquiries.