Nau mai haere mai, join us for a wānanga on what it means to be a young tangata whenua artist working and creating in Aotearoa. Facilitated by Curator and Artist Israel Randell who will be joined by ringatoi Aroha Matchitt-Millar, Enjoy Curator Brooke Pou and Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award 2025 winner Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel. Together they will be discussing reclaiming art forms, their journeys as artists and curators, practical tips, and the importance of rangatahi artists in Aotearoa.
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai. This is a wānanga for rangatahi ringatoi at any stage of their harenga. We encourage you to bring along mahi toi that you are working on.
We will start the afternoon off with a kōrero from Israel, Aroha, Brooke and Jazmine, have a kai and kaputī break, and come back together for some sharing amongst the rōpū.
Please RSVP so we can make sure we have enough kai! Hit the button below, email milly.hampton@nzportraitgallery.org.nz or call 04 472 2298.
Aroha Matchitt-Millar (Ngāti Rangitihi, Te Whakatōhea, Tūhoe)
Using feathers, feet, wings, and bones, Aroha creates contemporary jewellery, influenced by urban Māori 'Hori Chic' style. The intimacy of the process of skinning and pelting manu is both cathartic and repairing, recognizing the role colonisation had in separating Māori from these taonga while whatu-ing the strands of whakapapa back together. Her mahi is a rats tail reclamation to climb te ara a Whaititiri and have a cuppa with her nan.
Brooke Pou (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi)
Brooke is a writer and curator based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She is currently Curator at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, where she utilises her experience working a range of roles in various art galleries by taking a holistic approach when developing and delivering exhibitions.
Photo credit: Catherine Griffiths.
Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Whakatohea, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine).
Jax is a visual storyteller and creative working primarily in photography and videography. Her toi centres the celebration of Māori and Indigenous cultures through the practice of decolonizing the lens and reclamation of visual narratives from an indigenous perspective.
Accessibility Information: The New Zealand Portrait Gallery is an accessible venue, all on one level. There is an accessible wharepaku at the back of the venue. The gallery has automatic sliding doors and glass doors that can be pushed or pulled to enter. We have a wheelchair available for use within the gallery, and there is low stool seating throughout. During the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award Exhibition 2025 we have two video works with looping sound. If you have any questions regarding accessibility or if there is something we could do to make your visit easier, please get in touch.