Over recent years more overt and public emphasis has been placed on the traditional New Zealand Maori recognition of seasonal change astronomically marked by the appearance of the constellation known to Europeans as Pleiades and here as Matariki – the Maori New Year.
It’s not only the appearance of the stars which mark the new year – bulbs start to push their spears through the grass and as the old leaves fall, the new buds can be seen on the branches of the exotic trees around urban Tauranga and its surrounding rural districts
The Matariki Tauranga Moana Festival 2016 is a city-wide initiative. The Festival has been running since the 6th of June and continues to 22nd July 2016. There’s a shiny A3 fold-up brochure detailing a variety of events, performances, intellectual discussions and lectures. There is also a website www.mymatariki.co.nz and a facebook page Tauranga-Moana-Matariki-Festival
The Festival brochure says: “ In 1993, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Otepou revived the Matariki celebrations in Tauranga with an early morning trek up the Kopukairoa Mountain. This is where the first sighting of Matariki is celebrated in our moana with karakia (prayer) and waiata (songs) to acknowledge the arrival of the New Year. During Matariki we celebrate who we are, consent to new beginnings, plan for the future, prepare for imminent trends and look for guidance to show us the way forward.”
It seems appropriate that one of the discussions at the Creative Tauranga Gallery Matariki Exhibition, between exhibiting artists, is whether traditional Maori art forms should be altered and transformed by contemporary techniques and styles. At the end I say that what we call “traditional” is the point at which that creative style, object or artefact had developed to at the point of time of its creation. At the time it too would have been contemporary. I have noticed that in my own creative work, written, spoken and image, I reference traditional Maori forms, patterns, designs and tikanga – merely because I have spent all my life since the age of a year living in New Zealand.
The works exhibited in the Creative Tauranga Gallery are a range of mediums, styles and expressions of individual, contemporary creativity by Maori New Zealanders. The exhibition is not only important for that reason it is yet another example of the level of professionalism of curation and exhibition by the tiny team which makes up Creative Tauranga. If you do not manage to view the current Matariki exhibition make sure, whether you are a local resident, an international tourist or regional visitor, that you visit Creative Tauranga’s Gallery. It’s unmissable – near the I site in Willow Street, Downtown Tauranga and opposite the Tauranga Art Gallery – and that’s another not to miss visit every time you come to town. The main Tauranga City Library branch is “next door” in the covered arcade of the Tauranga City Council building.
And in the arcade, on the tiles in front of Creative Tauranga’s space Matthew Gallelli has created a Matariki pavement chalk art work. He was on his knees putting finishing touches to it on Friday afternoon and when I called by again on Sunday to take my phone-photos – there is was, untouched and glowing in the gloom of the arcade entryway. I hope we see more of Matthew’s work around Tauranga particularly during the summer months.
Chalk art Matthew Gallelli Tauranga 2016
Chalk art Matthew Gallelli Tauranga 2016
Rosemary Balu. Rosemary Balu is the founding and current editor of ARTbop. Rosemary has arts and law degrees from the University of Auckland. She has been a working lawyer and has participated in a wide variety of community activities where information gathering, submission writing, community advocacy and education have been involved. Interested in all forms of the arts since childhood Rosemary is focused on further developing and expanding multi-media ARTbop as the magazine for all the creative arts in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
