Paying tribute through traditional artwork

A delicate art intertwined with the traditions of ancestors is on show at Fresh Gallery Otara. 

Nga Mahi Tuku Iho (skills from our ancestors) is a solo exhibition by Tanya Edwards that draws on and honours the traditional art forms to her Maori and Tongan ancestors.

Edwards pays tribute to her grandmother Puti Hineaupounamu Rare, an expert Maori weaver and skilled maker of fine korowai (cloaks).  

Her grandaughter spent many seasons helping Rare to gather and prepare muka for weaving, watching the exact process of the creation of korowai - an art handed down through generations.

She always intended to make a piece that reflected the time and effort her grandmother "gave to making our most treasured kahu kiwi or kiwi feather cloak -  it is her finest work."

The cloak was made over several years and was one of Rare's last pieces.

Tongan ngatu (tongan cloths) also holds a strong place in Edward's life, both through discovering the meanings within those gifted to her father's family over generations and in her experience of learning and making ngatu.

The works in the exhibition are a record of more than 17 years that Edwards spent living in Tonga, her love for New Zealand and her Maori heritage. 

The exhibition will be at Fresh Gallery until July 25.