E whitawhita ana te ahi

Over the next two weeks the DPAG team are working hard on finalising the newest long-term collection exhibition Te Ahikāroa – Artists & Stories of Dunedin Public Art Gallery. This is an exciting project that celebrates the warmth and energy of art and art collections in our city, bringing together familiar works and some of the newest additions to the Gallery’s collection.

Among these new additions is Kaokao #2 (2014) by Mataaho Collective, an installation that was originally created in response to the centennial commemorations of World War I. Mataaho Collective created Kaokao #2 as an acknowledgment of wāhine who stood bravely to care for and protect their whenua and whānau during the trauma of the Great War and its aftermath. The kaokao pattern reflects strength and protection in te ao Māori, as well as referencing a military chevron.  

Mataaho Collective is widely acclaimed on the national and international stage for their innovation, and the capacity of their work to create and hold space for Māori ideas and experiences. The Collective are the only artists from Aotearoa New Zealand to have been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale (2024), and this is the second of their works to be acquired for the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection. You can also see the installation Hautāmiro on the Gallery’s Big Wall, and look out for the new Mataaho Collective poster available free to visitors to the Gallery.

We can’t wait to welcome you into the Gallery on Saturday 28 March to celebrate Te Ahikāroa – both the exhibition and the newly released book of the same title. We will also be holding some special events to give people a chance to hear from artists and members of our team who have been involved in bringing these projects together – keep an eye on our website for all the details.

Noho ora mai
Lucy Hammonds
Kairauhī Curator
Dunedin Public Art Gallery

[above: Mataaho Collective Kaokao #2 2014 (detail). High-vis aluminium and vinyl road signs. Collection of Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Purchased 2026.]