Ngā Hau Ngākau is an exhibition which is currently touring New Zealand. Consisting of 36 paintings by Robin Slow, 34 carvings by Brian Flintoff and a soundscape and video by Bob Bickerton, Ariana Tikao, Holly Tikao-Weir and Solomon Rahui it evokes the form of the whare whakairo (carved meeting house).

This whare is dedicated to manu (birds), treasured in Māori mythology as messengers that connect the physical and the spiritual realms. Acknowledging birds as atua tāngata whenua (the original ancestors of these islands) the exhibition honours the ancient whakapapa (genealogy) of ngā manu and offers a different perspective to consider contemporary human experience in Aotearoa.

Main image: Robin Slow, Waraki, 2017, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.

Left image: Brian Flintoff, Felix, rei niho. Courtesy of the artist.