Hurahia ana kā Whetū

Ko Hurahia ana kā Whetū te hua o kā whakawhitika korero i waeka i te Whare Toi Tūmatawhānui o Ōtepoti me Paemanu, he ohu kaimahi toi Kāi Tahu. Ko rua tau hemihemi Te Whare Toi me Paemanu e mahi tahi ana, e whakawhiti mātauraka ana, e whakarenarena ana i te taukaea takata i kā āhuataka katoa o ā mātou mahi.

Inā te whakahirahira o te whakauru i a Paemanu ki kā kohikohika hītori o te Whare Toi Tūmatawhānui o Ōtepoti, kia whakawhanake ai tēnei kaupapa. Me mihi ki kā pou e whā o te kaupapa, arā, ko ‘te takata’, ko te ‘wāhi me te tuakiri’, ko ‘te kupeka ā-ao’, ko ‘te mana o te mahi toi’ anō hoki. I whakatūria ēnei pou e whā hai aka kia whakamihia ai, kia mārama ai, kia whai honoka auaha ai hoki te kohikohika nei. E whakanui ana a Hurahia ana kā Whetū i te hītori o tēnei kohikohika, he whakatūka tuatahitaka nō tēnei momo ki Aotearoa. E whakamana ana tēnei kohikohika i kā kōrero me kā whakaaro e kawea ana e kā mahi toi o tēnei whakanōhaka. Mā te mahi kātahi ka rakona ai kā reo o te iwi Māori me kā iwi taketake, ka whakakotahitia kā momo whakapaparaka rerekē, ka tirohia hokitia te onamata, e pai ai te para i kā huarahi ki te anamata.

Mā kā kōrero rerekē e ārahi ai kā manuhiri ki Hurahia ana kā Whetū. He rite ō Paemanu tirohaka ki ō kā kairaupī o te Whare Toi, me kā tohu whakaaturaka nō tētahi rōpū kaiwhakauru anō e tuhi kōrero ana hai whakahokika ki kā mahi toi kai te whakaaturaka. Hai kā marama e tū mai nei, ka whakaurua kā kōrero whakahoki, kia hihiri ai te whakaaturaka, ā haere ake nei.

Hurahia ana kā Whetū – Unveiling the Stars is the result of a series of ongoing conversations between the team at Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Paemanu, a group of Ngāi Tahu (Kāi Tahu) visual artists.  Over a period of more than two years, the Gallery and Paemanu have been working in partnership, sharing knowledge and developing relationships that reach across many aspects of our work.

Introducing Paemanu to the collecting histories of Dunedin Public Art Gallery was an important part of developing the kaupapa of this exhibition. The four values of people, place & identity, global networks, and the power of art became a framework to acknowledge, understand and create connections across the collection. Hurahia ana kā Whetū celebrates the history of this collection, the first of its kind to be established in Aotearoa. It upholds the stories and ideas carried by art works that reside within this institution. Through partnership, working to elevate Māori and indigenous voices, and layering multiple viewpoints, this exhibition looks to the past to create new paths forward. 

Visitors will be guided through Hurahia ana kā Whetū by different narratives. Paemanu’s perspectives sit alongside those of the Gallery curators, with exhibition labels drawn from an additional group of contributors writing in response to art works in the exhibition. Over the upcoming months new responses will be introduced, creating an exhibition that will remain dynamic over time.