Pō! Pō! – Nikora Tori Te Kahu and Rangimarie Makowharemahihi

Pō! Pō! seeks to address the seriousness of mental health issues amongst Māori with a particular focus on the causes and effects for Māori women. We, as women, are the ūkaipō, the nurturing element for all – yet – where is our sanctum? Here we aim to provide a space for self healing and reflection.

Pō! Pō! acknowledges pōuri (sorrow), as we have come to know it, through generations of memories. Memories that speak of times when we had full knowledge of ourselves, of colonization, of war…. and memories of ourselves in real-time as Māori.

Through mōteatea (chants), karakia (prayer) and the retracing of whakapapa (geneology) we have found a doorway that enables us to understand and appreciate the past, as well as this new pōuri (sorrow) that we are feeling.
Experience a sense of comfort… or discomfort within our installation of painting, sculpture and sound we aim to inspire a sense of enlightenment and well-being through a shared acknowledgement of pain.

-Nikora Tori Te Kahu