The Wairau Māori Art Gallery is pleased to present Toka Tū’, an exhibition featuring nine senior Māori artists.

Toka Tū, a person of strength in times of adversity. The artists whose works adorn the walls of Wairau Māori Art Gallery have been at the forefront of moulding a new aesthetic that integrates the deep visual traditions of Te Ao Māori with a colour palette of mediums and current issues and narratives that are descriptive of our contemporary world.

They have pushed boundaries and navigated challenges from the mainstream artworld and traversed new ground from traditionalist Māori artforms that bind their mahi to the whenua to illustrate a rich cultural landscape that is Aotearoa.

Ngā iwi o te Taitokerau are transient navigators, descended from explorers and fierce home people who extend manaakitanga with open arms to those who enter our spaces.

Welcoming the influence of new materials and tools, alternative perspectives and the adaptability to integrate concepts that create meaning into our world.

We welcome this exhibition to the north and pay tribute to this carefully selected group of heroes, an opportunity to honour their work and the lifelong commitment they have made; may the gentle caress and lapping tides of new generations of artists continue to be inspired by these trailblazers.