Wharenui Harikoa takes form at Objectspace

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Artists Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson with their exhibition at Objectspace.

Artists Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson with their exhibition at Objectspace. Image: Supplied

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Artists Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson with Jenny-May Clarkson from the Breakfast show on TV1.

Artists Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson with Jenny-May Clarkson from the Breakfast show on TV1. Image: Supplied

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The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa.

The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa. Image: Supplied

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The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa.

The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa. Image: Supplied

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The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa.

The whare will feature a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa. Image: Supplied

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Through the magic of the crochet hook, two artists have infused and connected whakapapa (geneaology), wairua (spirit) and experiences as Māori and Pākehā into their unique mahi toi (art works).

Artists Lissy Robinson-Cole (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu) and Rudi Robinson (Ngāti Paoa, Ngaruahine, Ngāti Makirangi, Ngāti Tu) have been using their creative energies to explore mātauranga Māori and their personal whakapapa through crocheted sculptural forms over the past eight years.

Their mahi brings together bright, neon colours and traditional toi whakairo shapes to offer a new way of understanding the importance of joy and aroha within te aō Māori.

Robinson-Cole and Robinson have recently embarked on a journey to create Wharenui Harikoa (House of Joy), a whare imbued with their love of craft, kōrero and whānau. The whare will be their most ambitious creation to date, built to almost full scale and featuring a number of poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa.

“As indigenous people, we are in the stream of our wairua being carried by our tūpuna in a way that is connecting us together and to our world around us. We invite you on our journey of creating Wharenui Harikoa (House of Joy), in which we welcome you to enter, to share breath, life, colour, vibrancy, hope, joy but mostly aroha (love).”

The pieces completed to date for Wharenui Harikoa will be on display at Objectspace over a three-day period, giving visitors the opportunity to see their unique vision and learn more about Wharenui Harikoa as it is created.

The couple will offer an insight into what they have achieved so far and share in the making of Wharenui Harikoa, the kaupapa of the wharenui and the mātauranga that has guided the design and construction so far.

Wharenui Harikoa will run over three days at Objectspace:

10am – 5pm, Thursday 26 May & Friday 27 May
10am – 4pm, Saturday 28 May

Events taking place at the gallery during this pop-up:

5pm—8pm, Thursday 26 May, Wharenui Harikoa Late Night
2pm, Friday 27 May, Sharing the kaupapa: Artist talk with Robinson-Cole and Robinson
3pm—5pm, Friday 27 May, Movement for Harikoa
11am—12.30pm, Saturday 28 May, Knitting and Crochet for Beginners

Wharenui Harikoa will be shown at the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt later this year. The completed Wharenui will be launched at Matariki 2023 and will journey around Aotearoa.


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