Tai AIO
Tai AIO is a simultaneous kaupapa that occupies water or space. AIO is harmony or peace. Tai can be used as a word to describe energy or ones state as in tai tamariki (child's state) or tai pakeke (elder state). This work relates to being raised in Te Moana o Tauranga as part of the Kura Kaupapa Māori and Kōhanga Reo Māori language Revitalisation movement.
Tai AIO depicts the mischievous Maui Tikitiki a Taranga fishing up the whenua. My fond memories fishing were all from Tauranga Moana where my father Skip Arapere learned from the Pirirakau people.
Nei rā te te tai o mihi ki enei Whetū o te rangi.
Matariki Tauranga Mahara, Matariki Tauranga Kai, Matariki Tauranga Tangata.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Reweti Arapere studied at Massey University’s Toioho ki Āpiti, graduating with a Master of Māori Visual Arts in 2009. He works primarily in illustration, painting, sculpture and installation, his practice bringing together traditional Māori narratives and artistic practices with contemporary materials and forms.
A commitment to te reo Māori underpins these associations, grounding his interpretation of whakairo (carving) and figurative symbols. Bridging modern, customary and cosmological narratives, Arapere’s illustrated figures demonstrate how these narratives continue to guide Māori cultural identity.