Join us to explore some recent poems by writers who identify with or respond to the mermaid as a figure who slips between categories. Ōtepoti artist and poet, Jessica Hinerangi Thompson- Carr aka the Māori Mermaid, will join curator Megan Dunn to discuss their individual resonance with mermaid symbology. The Māori mermaid will read her own work and talk about the work of others from poetry to popular culture, shining light on the imaginative potential of the mermaid and its relevance to contemporary Aotearoa.

Jessica Hinerangi Thompson-Carr is Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāpuhi, and Pākehā. She is 26 years old and currently works as an artist, poet, and writer, often under the name Māori Mermaid (@maori_mermaid on instagram). Her inspiration comes from her whakapapa and she is constantly seeking more information about herself and her future through her poetry and art.

This is the third and final in our lunchtime talk series Bridging Worlds running alongside Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery’s current exhibitions. These talks explore private obsessions in real world contexts and the ways imaginative personas enable slippage between identity categories.