Mataaho Collective Showcases Power Of Indigenous Māori Artists At Venice Biennale

Mataaho Collective’s major win at the Venice Biennale showcases the power of indigenous Māori artists to the world, says Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland art historian, Associate Professor Caroline Vercoe.

Maataho Collective Erena Baker (Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangātira), Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe), Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) and Terri Te Tau (Rangitāne ki Wairarapa) were announced as winners of the Golden Lion award for ‘Takapau’ on April 21, at the Venice Biennale for the Best Participant in the International Exhibition for ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.’

‘Takapau’ is made up of 200 sqm of woven reflective truck strops, curated by Dr Nina Tonga for Te Papa Tongarewa. The installation is an ode to examples of fine ceremonial woven mats, the research of Dr Ngahuia Murphy, and the legacy of artist Kura Te Waru Rewiri.

“We are delighted to hear that Mataaho Collective has won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale this year. This is a huge honour which acknowledges the importance of their work and collective art practice, and showcases the power of indigenous Māori artists to the world,” says Associate Professor Vercoe.

She acknowledged renowned Māori artist Dr Maureen Lander who taught at the University of Auckland for many years and is the mentor of Mataaho Collective. Dr Lander and Mataaho Collective won the Walters Prize three years ago in 2021.

Vercoe paid homage to curator Dr Nina Tonga, proud of the work and contribution from the graduate and former teaching fellow of the University of Auckland’s Art History department.

Dr Tonga went on to complete her PhD studies at the University and is currently assistant professor of Pacific Art History at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, Hawaii.

It was in Tonga’s previous role as Curator of Contemporary Art of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, that she curated the ground breaking Mataaho Collective exhibition Te Puni Aroaro (2022) and commissioned the work Takapau, which was selected by Andriano Pedrosa, Curator of the Biennale, and went on to win the prestigious Golden Lion.

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