Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Gate 3, Kelburn Parade
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

Tūrangahakoa

Artist talk

1.00pm 24 August 2024

Hanging on the wall in the Upper Chartwell Gallery, Brook Konia’s work Tūrangahakoa connects twelve paired bars pointing upward. A zagged manawa-line is revealed in the middle, signifying the journey one goes on in life. Altogether the artwork is a tohu of belonging, joy and aspiration. In this conversation with Rosalie Koko Adam Art Gallery's 2024 Pia Nahanaha Taonga Intern, Konia shares the kōrero informing Tūrangahakoa which navigates the places, people, objects, customs and ways of relating to each other that transition someone from wandering and wondering to being welcome.

This is followed by a participatory sound performance Tī Rākau.

Brook Konia, Tūrangahakoa, 2022, reclaimed timbers: tōtara, rimu, matai and pine, 850 x 905 x 15 mm. Installation view The buildings notice me, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2024. Photo: Ted Whitaker.