Ngā Hau Ngākau

Ngā Hau Ngākau
Whakarongo!
Ki te tangi a te manu e karanga nei
“Tui, tui, tuituia!”
Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia i roto
Tuia i waho, tuia i te here tangata

Ngā Hau Ngākau (Breath of Mine) is an immersive exhibition of luminous paintings, intricately carved taonga pūoro and beautiful music.

The show is a collaboration between carver Brian Flintoff, musician Bob Bickerton and artist Robin Slow. It includes 36 paintings, 2 kete (baskets) and 1 whāriki (woven mat) by Slow; 34 carvings by Flintoff; and a soundscape and video by Bickerton, with vocals and taonga pūoro (Māori musical instruments) by musicians Ariana Tikao, Holly Weir-Tikao and Solomon Rahui.

The exhibition layout takes the form of the whare whakairo (carved meeting house) and focusses on the role of manu (birds) as messengers in Māori mythology. It acknowledges birds as atua tangata whenua (the original ancestors of our islands) and by honouring the ancient whakapapa (genealogy) of ngā manu, the exhibition offers a different perspective when considering contemporary human experience in Aotearoa.