Rua Pick: Te Ngahuru ki Te Kōanga

The ‘Te Ngahuru ki Te Kōanga’ exhibition pays homage to the equinoxes. Light and dark are balanced equally.

The times in-between the thresholds of Ao (Light) and Pō (dark), the times when two realms meet.

The artworks in this exhibition honour ancient stories of lightness and darkness. A number of works display narratives of activities that occurred during seasonal equinoxes.

Te Ngahuru (Autumn Equinox), the harvest and seed season. The tenth month in the Marama Taka (moon calendar) is known as Te Pū Toki o Te Tau, this is when the stars of Poutū te Rangi, the great pole that Tāne used to separate his parents Ranginui and Papatūānuku, shine brightly in the heavens. Poutū Te Rangi (Altair) is the star at the top of the pole and Whānui (Vega) is at the base.

This exhibition then travels the cold dark months of Te Hōtoke (Winter), when nature contracts, shuts down and rests, emerging with Te Kōanga (Spring Equinox). Spring bursts forth with new shoots & buds, life is renewed, Nga māra (gardens) are dug and planted when the soils are warm. Fishing grounds and the trails of land and sea are opened, new journeys begin.

These taonga are inspired in story and form, from the natural world, Tuputupu Whenua (Grandmother Nature). A homage to the Nga Kai Pūrākau (Story Tellers) and the Nga Kai Tuhituhi (Scribes), who walk gently between Te Ao Mārama (The World of Light) and Te Ao Pōuri (The World of Darkness).