Mataaho Collective talk

Come along to the Gallery this Thursday (24 October) at 5.30pm to enjoy a special talk from Mataaho Collective on their experience exhibiting Takapau at the 2024 Venice Biennale.  

Takapau is a large-scale installation using polyester reflective truck strops inspired by whāriki techniques and patterns and was first installed in Aotearoa at Te Papa Tongarewa in 2022. Takapau has been described as a feat of engineering and earned Mataaho a Golden Lion award for Best Participant amongst hundreds of other participants at the biennale.

Takapau is a word for a woven mat, and he takapau pōkai, or a rolled sleeping mat, can be used as a metaphor for someone who travels often.

Established in 2012, Mataaho Collective is a collaboration between four Aotearoa-based artists. Like a takapau pōkai, Mataaho often travel to take part in international exhibitions. Most recently they travelled to take part in the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea and the Venice Biennale in Italy. The collective are the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Visiting Artists for 2025.

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Noho ora mai
Mya Morrison-Middleton
Visitor Programmes Coordinator
Dunedin Public Art Gallery

[above: Members of Mataaho Collective standing under their artwork Takapau installed at Te Papa, courtesy Te Papa Tongarewa. below: Mataaho Collective, Takapau, 2022. Polyester hi-viz tie downs (6km), stainless steel buckles, 480 rachets and 960 j-hooks. Photo: Ben Stewart]