Isaiah Okeroa

A REAR WINDOW PROJECT

In Kiwa (2023), Isaiah Okeroa (Taranaki, Waikato) combines vibrant layers within their work to present an intimate te ao Māori perspective through toi Māori. Kiwa acknowledges the capabilities of harakeke fibres, in weaving together connections that extend whānau and whakapapa. Having grown up in Waihōpai Invercargill, away from their tūrangawaewae on Te Ika-a-Māui, Okeroa reconnects to their Māoritanga through raranga and taonga pūoro. Utilising the power of taonga pūoro and woven with field recordings to emanate the intricate frequencies from te taiao, Kiwa floats between the spaces of times, addressing the generational disconnect while healing the path for the future.

Isaiah Okeroa’s art practice comprises multi-sensory elements that provide new ways for viewers to engage with te ao Māori, emphasising the importance of people connecting with nature. Okeroa graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2022 and a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) in 2023 at the Dunedin School of Art. Initially exhibited as a projection onto a harakeke screen in Okeroa’s SITE 2023 installation at Dunedin School of Art, the alternate viewing format in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Rear Window Moving Image Programme proposes a new opportunity for Kiwa to be celebrated.

Kiwa is part of Dunedin Public Art Gallery’s Rear Window Moving Image Programme, which showcases moving image works by contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand and international artists.