A Māori artist collective re-indigenises the customary artform of taonga puoro (Māori musical instruments) through the contemporary lens of their respective art practices—whakairo (carving), uku (clay), print media, and videography. Taonga puoro has undergone a renaissance in recent years, the sounds and associated stories emerging and reintegrating into the living culture of tangata whenua. In the Tairāwhiti region, carved poupou figures holding musical artefacts feature in several wharenui, highlighting the artform’s deep connections to hapū, iwi, and whānau in earlier times. A small gathering of puoro practitioners held at Te Araroa’s Hinerupe Marae in 1991, is widely recognised as the seed of the present-day revival.

Tōiri means vibration or resonance, the exhibition is an invitation for manuhiri to reflect on how taonga puoro resonates with the people, places, and natural environment of Aotearoa.

Artists: Norm Heke (Ngāpuhi); Rakai Rewharewha (Te Whakatōhea, Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāitai ki Tōrere); Arumaki Pasene-Grennell (Ngāti Maniapoto, Niue, Aitutaki, Tāhiti); Emma Kitson (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha). Curator – Julie Noanoa (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou).