WANA 2025 - 12 artists curated by Chantel Matthews 29 April - 17 May 2025
WANA 2025 is an iteration and extension of WANA 2023, which presented Māori concepts of energies IHI (magnetic force), WEHI (awe/fear), and WANA (activation or outcome of IHI and WEHI), which artists were invited to respond to post-covid pandemic.
Today, our exhibition theme is Rise of the Human spirit through concepts of ira tangata (human) or be ira atua (superhuman) and what the human spirit of tomorrow will look like. WANA considers these concepts in relation towards two forces colliding through artistic practice as artists are paired, bringing unique perspectives and skills to learn, share, and inspire one another, creating a powerful narrative of resilience and hope. From half-lonely strangers, nostalgic childhoods, the erasing of memories, where graffiti meets its X and adornment embraces matriarchal strength, all these works are woven together as materials come alive through the mauri (life force)of their makers.
“The exciting thing about curating WANA is that you never know what you will get until it arrives in the gallery. I often meet the artwork and the artist for the first time, each presenting their own story, energy, and personality.
George and Bekah shared their time together in the ngahere, collecting, connecting, and casting themselves together materially while weaving their passion for a life of balance and in harmony with the environment, working as one, they remind me of the kaimahi you will often find in the marae kitchen. Generous in their manaaki for each other, their family, and the community they serve.
For Wendy and Gary, it was a symbolic match made in heaven. Where light is woven by hand and reliance against the machine, these worlds could not be further apart in their medium but together in their kindness when it comes to sharing their skills, knowledge and time for others.
Vaimaila and Erich were drawn to the nostalgic family memories, both utilising this nostalgia to create edible works metaphorically and literally. Both are drawn to motifs and patterns that keep them close to their ancestral connections, everything they do for aiga with aiga.
Esther and Tegan honour their matriarchal bloodlines through ancestral weaving, following traditions from knowledge of the past and present. From seeds to beads, they combine tradition with contemporary methods and materials, paying homage to the strength of women who stand strong in their own power and dignity.
From the whimsical within to the glistening sands, Tony and Reuben shared many moons across different time zones. Filled with encouragement and love for all things purrfect, both found comfort in the quiet knowingness guided by messages send from the moon.
Lastly, for Cath and Hana, There is a fine line between the memory and traces of the body and the embodiment of the line as oneself. Where one uses found objects as markers of place and time then erasing its domesticity giving it a sense of freedom, the other uses the line to confine oneself through a colonial lens that explores land as a reflection of the past while attempting to move forward and in doing so, creating a new line of legacy”
No longer strangers, all these artists are part of the WANA Whānau, ake ake ake
Chantel Matthews 2025