Wāhine

Wāhine is a multi-media exhibition that amplifies Māori women's voices and stories. We want to encourage connection and mutual understanding within our communities across Aotearoa. We need your help to continue to grow Wāhine and take the exhibition around the country.

Pūrākau: The story 

Wāhine is an immersive exhibition, offering a rare opportunity to dive into Māori women’s personal journeys. Photographic portraits of each woman are exhibited and paired with 12-15 minute audio recordings detailing her experiences. 

Every audio portrait is raw and honest, touching on her joys, troubles and ultimately showing the incredible resilience of each wāhine. The works are co-created through a respectful process between each woman and Loren, the artist. Alongside an in-depth interview Loren shares with the women, each wāhine records the sounds of her daily life, or what might be important to her, over a few weeks. These are interwoven into the final sound piece.

After being hosted in the Nelson-Tasman region in 2020, Wāhine is touring Aotearoa in 2021-2022. The exhibition expands in each location, by inviting a woman from a local iwi to join the project. This process is always done with the support of mana whenua (the local iwi) and respecting tikanga (Māori customs and protocols). We are taking Wāhine to 12 cities, starting in Christchurch for Matariki 2021 and finishing in Wellington at the end of 2022. 

Āwhina mai, tautoko mai: We need your support 

We want to keep this exhibition free to allow everyone to access this taonga – you, your whānau, friends and local schools. This project has come together over two years with a lot of passion and hard mahi. This kaupapa got off the ground with the help of local community grants, and our own pocket money, but we need a little extra to secure Wāhine’s journey around the South Island.

With your donation, Wāhine can continue to grow. You will play a significant part in upholding Māori voices that preserve stories and knowledge, and transform thinking in our communities. Your koha will help us cover the cost of: 

• Exhibition materials
• Transportation of the exhibition
• Production costs

Te pānga: The impact 

Wāhine aims to inspire compassion and ignite a wider sense of belonging in Aotearoa. We’re using modern technology while staying true to tikanga Māori: the traditional customs and ways of communicating past histories and whakapapa orally. It is a step forward to fostering mutual understanding. Wāhine reminds us that while we are all unique in our own ways, many of our experiences are alike, creating common ground, kotahitanga (togetherness), and opportunity for a more truthful and open intercultural dialogue.

“The opportunity that Wāhine has given women, including myself, to speak openly and candidly about our life experiences has been a truly amazing experience. This concept has been in need for a long time and brings back a voice to wāhine .” - Cindy (Te Ata) Batt | Kaitiaki I te poari matua o Te Atiawa

Ngā mihi maioha, thank you for your manaakitanga, generosity and support, and for helping us take this taonga around Aotearoa.